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MentholA targeted takeover

The mint that kills

Easy to addict. Hard to quit.

Menthol has a cooling effect, making tobacco products - like cigarettes, snuff, e-cigarettes, and vapes - feel less harsh and easier to use.

Menthol also suppresses our body’s natural urge to cough to clear our airways and improves the taste and smell of these products making them more attractive and easier to start using.

Finally, menthol enhances the effects of nicotine, making the use of menthol products more addictive and more harmful.


Menthol by mistake

Making billions, addicting millions.1


In the 1920s, Lloyd ‘Spud’ Hughes had a cold and reached for a common cure for the time, menthol crystals. Later, putting the crystals away with his cigarettes - the flavors combined.

Since then, menthol cigarettes have been on the market. And as their popularity quickly grew, so did menthol tobacco products — and the fortune made by Big Tobacco.1


Big Tobacco Targeting

LGBTQIA2S+, Black, African American, Hispanic, and Latinx communities have been aggressively targeted by the tobacco industry for many years. That targeting has had a devasting impact on many communities.2


Black or African American

Of Black adults who smoke, 93% first tried smoking using menthol cigarettes.4

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Hispanic or Latinx

Of adults who smoke, about 48% of people who identify as Hispanic use menthol cigarettes.5
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LGBTQIA2S+

People who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ are more likely to try their first cigarette before age 13.3
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You CAN quit. Let us help

Free, confidential support to quit smoking, vaping, or tobacco for New Yorkers.



Last updated 4/23/2024 1:58 PM
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