Public Health Benefits of a Ban on the Sale of Menthol Cigarettes in New York

This Fact Sheet was written by Frank J. Chaloupka. The fact sheet discusses the potential public health benefits of ending the sale of menthol cigarettes in New York. The author estimates that such a ban would encourage 33,284 smokers, or 5.6% of menthol smokers, to quit and reduce the number of youth who initiate smoking. As a result, 7,800 premature smoking-related deaths would be averted. This policy would also reduce health care spending, including Medicaid, by nearly $283 million in the long-term. Modeling the impact of a menthol cigarette ban in the state of New York, the author demonstrates the positive effect that the policy would have.