The non-profit group ClearWay Minnesota announced it will allocate USD 360,000 (EUR 271,000) to study the impact of a ban on menthol cigarettes, cessation programmes for menthol smokers and policy options.

"We know menthol cigarettes increase smoking initiation among youth, make it harder for smokers to break free of addiction, and are disproportionately marketed to ethnic minorities," said ClearWay Minnesota Chief Executive Officer David Willoughby in a statement distributed on PR Newswire. "These new studies will help identify ways to address the problem of menthol use in Minnesota."
Two studies will be conducted by the University of Minnesota and a third by the Public Health Law Center. ClearWay is funded with 3 per cent of Minnesota’s 1998 tobacco settlement. (ci)