“MENTHOL is added to cigarettes in part because it is … an attractive feature to inexperienced smokers who perceive menthol cigarettes as less harsh … some youths smoke menthols because they perceive them to be less harmful than non-menthol cigarettes … the companies carefully researched the menthol segment … to recruit younger smokers.”
http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/Suppl_2/ii12.full