Menthol is used to hook young smokers: study

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tobacco companies manipulate the amount of menthol in cigarettes to make those first few puffs more palatable to young smokers, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could fuel support for more tobacco regulation.

"Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lung and oral pharynx," said Dr. Gregory Connolly of the Harvard School of Public Health. "It makes smoking easier."

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, comes as the U.S. Congress considers legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate tobacco.

Representatives of tobacco companies R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris and Lorillard disputed the findings.

"It would appear this report is simply an effort to push support for federal regulation of the tobacco industry, not a scientific review of the menthol category," said David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American Inc and maker of Camel and Kool cigarettes.

Lorillard Inc spokesman Michael Robinson said in a statement: "The American public should view this report for what it is, a politically motivated lobbying tool."

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people each year.

Menthol cigarette brands have been rising in popularity with adolescents and the highest use has been among younger, newer smokers. A 2006 national survey found that 44 percent of smokers aged 12 to 17 reported using menthol cigarettes, as did 36 percent of smokers aged 18 to 24.

Connolly and colleagues studied internal company research on menthol use released as part of a large tobacco settlement. They also conducted independent laboratory tests and reviewed population studies on smoking trends.

According to the study, in 1987 R.J. Reynolds identified low menthol varieties as a new strategy to recruit new, young smokers.

"First-time smoker reaction is generally negative," it said in a company document. "Initial negatives can be alleviated with a low level of menthol."

STARTING OUT MILD

Big tobacco makers in the United States agreed in 1998 to pay $206 billion to 46 states to help pay the costs of treating ailing smokers under a 25-year master settlement. The deal, which included restrictions on the advertising and marketing of tobacco, ended a long legal battle with the states.

Connolly said tobacco companies use mild menthol cigarettes to target younger smokers and stronger menthol flavors for established smokers.

"Menthol helps the nicotine go down," Connolly said in a telephone interview but he added that too much menthol is hard for new smokers to tolerate.