Perceptions of a Menthol Cigarette and Flavored Cigar Ban Among Black and White Adults Who Smoke Menthol Cigarettes, United States, 2024

Objectives: Menthol flavoring is a critical public health issue, but prior research has largely represented the voices of White adults who smoke menthol cigarettes, who represent a small subset of adults who smoke menthol cigarettes in the United States. This study compared perceptions of a hypothetical menthol cigarette or flavored cigar (MC/FC) ban among Black and White adults who smoke menthol cigarettes. Methods: Participants were a convenience sample of 2113 Black and 1087 White adults who smoke menthol cigarettes, collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk from July 2023 through January 2024. Participants reported opinions about an MC/FC ban, the likely public health outcomes, and a hypothetical impact of the ban on their smoking behavior. We used stepwise logistic regression to model factors associated with ban opposition or ambivalence. Results: More than one-third of adults who smoke menthol cigarettes supported an MC/FC ban (37.2% Black vs 34.5% White; P = .13), but Black (vs White) adults who smoke menthol cigarettes were more likely to endorse the public health benefits of a ban, as assessed via agreement with 5 statements of US Food and Drug Administration rationale (mean [SD] number of statements endorsed, 3.0 [1.7] vs 2.4 [1.8]; P < .001). Smoking more cigarettes per day, believing that menthol cigarettes are more addictive or harder to quit than nonmenthol cigarettes, and intending to continue using nicotine under a ban increased the odds of opposition or ambivalence to the ban. Conclusions: Targeted outreach to those who consume predominantly menthol products and those who do not intend to quit nicotine could increase support of an MC/FC ban among adults who smoke menthol cigarettes.