Menthol ban helping smokers quit

Leading the study was Christina Kyriakos in conjunction with teams from Maastricht University and the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands and International Tobacco Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Taking a national sample of adult menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers in the Netherlands the team compared responses before and after the ban. Of those surveyed, 26.1 per cent had quit smoking. This was much higher than the control group of non-menthol smokers, of which only 14.1 per cent had quit.

Adding menthol to cigarettes creates a cooling and often minty sensation that reduces the harshness of smoking. This can make it easier to start smoking and from a nicotine addiction.