The FDA says more than 18.5 million people in the U.S. aged 12 or older smoke menthol cigarettes.
Notes on verification
Directly confirmed by FDA's own press release and Federal Register filing, corroborated by NCI, American Lung Association, and peer-reviewed literature citing the same 2019 estimate. [tier=silver indep_score=0.539 clusters=3 claim_tier=everyday]
Sources
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Why are menthol-flavored cigarettes a ... (seed:food_and_diet)
- https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-rules-prohibiting-menthol-cigarettes-and-flavored-cigars-prevent-youth-initiation (corroboration)
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/04/2022-08994/tobacco-product-standard-for-menthol-in-cigarettes (corroboration)
- https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/fda-proposes-rule-prohibiting-menthol-cigarettes (corroboration)