Menthol cigarettes and the public health standard: a systematic review.

Background: Although menthol was not banned under the Tobacco Control Act, the law made it clear that this did not prevent the Food and Drug Administration from issuing a product standard to ban menthol to protect public health. The purpose of this review was to update the evidence synthesis regarding the role of menthol in initiation, dependence and cessation.

Methods: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on menthol cigarettes via a PubMed search through May 9, 2017.

Finished with Menthol: An Evidence-Based Policy Option That Will Save Lives.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, killing approximately 480,000 people each year. This crushing health burden falls disproportionately, and recent CDC data shows that large disparities in adult cigarette smoking remain. One factor in these disparities is the use of flavors.