WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Research released today
in the American Journal of Public Health found evidence that the tobacco
industry has manipulated menthol levels and created new cigarette brands
with the intention of gaining market share among young adults and
adolescents. The article, Tobacco Industry Control of Menthol Cigarettes
and Targeting of Adolescents and Young Adults, compiled data and tobacco
industry documents that reveal the tobacco industry's intention to vary
strengths of menthol flavors in cigarettes, appealing to young people. The
research was conducted by the Division of Public Health Practice at the
Harvard School of Public Health and funded in part by the American Legacy
Foundation(R).
According to the report, tobacco companies discovered that long-term
smokers preferred products with higher menthol levels and stronger
perceived menthol sensations, while younger smokers preferred milder
menthol products. The report went on to describe that menthol products tend
to mask the harshness of smoke inhalation, allowing for nicotine to enter
the systems of these new smokers who subsequently become addicted. In
response to this information, tobacco companies introduced new menthol
brands with lower menthol levels to appeal to younger smokers and to gain a
larger market share. While cigarette sales in the U.S. declined by 22
percent between 2000 to 2005, the sales of menthol cigarettes remained
constant.
Data analyzed in the study indicates that significantly more
adolescents and young adults smoke menthol cigarettes than older people. It
also emphasizes that most African-American smokers in the United States
smoke menthol cigarettes (more than 70 percent as compared with about 30
percent of white smokers).
"We know that menthol cigarettes are disproportionately marketed to the
African-American community and that starting at a young age, menthol
cigarettes are the product of choice for Black smokers," Cheryl G. Healton,
Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the American Legacy
Foundation. "This research confirms that the industry is intentionally
manipulating these products in order to get new smokers hooked," Healton
added.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
found that while youth smoking is currently at the lowest level in the past
30 years, the recent substantial declines seen between 1997-2003 came to a
stand-still between 2003-2007. The American Legacy Foundation is concerned
that this method of attracting new smokers is undermining the significant
achievements the public health community has made in reducing smoking rates
among young people.
"For decades, the tobacco industry has carefully manipulated menthol
content not only to lure youth but also to lock in lifelong adult
customers," said Howard Koh, a Legacy Board member, Professor and Associate
Dean for Public Health Practice at HSPH and a co-author of the paper.
The American Legacy Foundation(R) is dedicated to building a world
where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in
Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health
effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations
disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants,
technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and
counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's
programs include truth(R), a national youth smoking prevention campaign
that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth
smoking; EX(R), an innovative public health program designed to speak to
smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting;
research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to
reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to
priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a
result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached
between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the
tobacco industry. Visit http://www.americanlegacy.org.
SOURCE American Legacy Foundation
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.americanlegacy.org
CONTACT:
Julia Cartwright of American Legacy
Foundation, +1-202-454-5596, jcartwright@americanlegacy.org
|
