| Many studies that showed nicotine is very addictive | | | | inhaling a lot of smoke is not pleasant because the |
| were carried, but the researchers are trying for many | | | | toxins and the nicotine in the smoke are harsh on the |
| years to discover the secret of menthol in cigarettes. | | | | throat. Smokers that use menthol cigarettes don’t |
| A few of the researchers think that menthol allows | | | | feel that because of the menthol taste. Persons who |
| smokers to take intense puffs or drags on cigarettes, | | | | smell those kinds of cigarettes said that menthol |
| this way a big amount of toxins go deeper and | | | | creates pleasant, fresh and soothing feeling. |
| smoother. | | | | Menthol makes the smoke easier to be inhaled and in |
| This is what Jonathan Foulds affirmed. He is the | | | | big quantities per cigarette. Another study that was |
| director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at the | | | | made recently showed that African-Americans who |
| University of Dentistry and Medicine of New | | | | smoke cigarettes containing menthol inhale a higher |
| Jersey’s School of Public Health. | | | | volume of carbon monoxide in comparison with those |
| Jonathan Foulds in a recent research discovered that | | | | who smoke regular cigarettes. |
| persons who usually smoked menthol cigarettes have | | | | You can see how addicted is a person after |
| bigger problems to give up smoking than those who | | | | observing how soon they light up a cigarette after |
| smoked regular cigarettes for a long time. | | | | they get up in the morning. Mr. Foulds said that menthol |
| 1,700 people participated in this study. These people | | | | smokers light up a cigarette sooner than those that |
| were asked to sign up because they wished to stop | | | | smoke regular cigars. |
| smoking. Statistics that was analyzed after this study | | | | Kunal Gandhi a researcher in the division of addiction |
| showed that millions of Americans affirmed they | | | | psychiatry at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson |
| wanted and tried to give up smoking, but didn’t | | | | Medical School and he is the author of another study |
| succeed. One of the groups had more problems in | | | | that shows a smoker who uses menthol cigarettes |
| quitting than another. The groups were assembled out | | | | finds harder to stop smoking, even though they reduce |
| of smokers that use regular cigarettes and one was | | | | the number of cigarettes per day. |
| of menthol cigarette smokers. | | | | Menthol masks the harshness of the toxins and the |
| The second group had more difficulties to stop | | | | nicotine, which is why menthol cigarettes are more |
| smoking. | | | | dangerous than the other ones. The persons that |
| For example in Northeastern United States the | | | | made this research believe that because menthol cigs |
| legislation has raised the prices for cigarettes. In | | | | make inhaling more nicotine easier the African |
| Manhattan, a pack of cigarettes costs $11 but in New | | | | Americans have higher rates of lung cancer. 80 |
| Jersey pack costs $8. This might mean that poor | | | | percent of the African American smokers prefer |
| people won’t afford them and they would give up | | | | cigarettes that contain menthol. |
| smoking. | | | | There is another problem researchers are concerned |
| For a lot of smokers, especially poor the raising prices | | | | about and this is the fact that more young and Latino |
| for cigarettes means that they have to quit smoking. | | | | persons who smoke become addicted to menthol |
| Of course it is very difficult to stop smoking when the | | | | cigarettes. |
| body is addicted to certain level of nicotine. Foulds | | | | The Recent legislation in New Jersey bans candy- and |
| says the body is trying to take more smoke from a | | | | fruit- flavored cigarettes but does allow menthol to be |
| cigarette because it needs to obtain the quantity of | | | | used in the cigarettes. |
| nicotine that it is used to. With regular cigarettes, | | | | |