Binge drinking and marijuana use among menthol and non-menthol adolescent smokers: Findings from the Youth Smoking Survey

Introduction: Research has shown that smoking menthol cigarettes induces smoking initiation and hinders cessation efforts especially among youth. The objective of this paper is to examine the association between menthol cigarette smoking and substance use among adolescent students in Canada. Methods: A nationally representative cross-sectional sample of 4466 Canadian students in grades 7 to 12 from the 2010-2011 Youth Smoking Survey is analyzed. A bivariate probit model is used jointly to examine the association of menthol smoking status with binge drinking and marijuana use. Results: 32% of the current smokers in grades 7 to 12 smoke mentholated cigarettes, 73% are binge drinkers and 79% use marijuana. Results of the bivariate probit regression analysis, controlling for other covariates, show statistically significant differences in the likelihood of binge drinking and marijuana use between menthol and non-menthol smokers. Menthol cigarette smokers are 6% (ME. = 0.06, 95% CI. = 0.03-0.09) more likely to binge drink and 7% (ME. = 0.07, 95% CI. = 0.05-0.10) more likely to use marijuana. Conclusion: Smoking menthol cigarettes is associated with a higher likelihood of binge drinking and marijuana use among Canadian adolescents. Banning menthol in cigarettes may be beneficial to public health.