Menthol may be responsible for elevated nicotine addiction among teens in Canada, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo in Canada found that teens who use menthol cigarettes smoke more cigarettes per day than their peers who smoke non-menthols.

"The appeal of menthol cigarettes among youth stems from the perception that they are less harmful than regular cigarettes. The minty taste helps mask the noxious properties, but the reality is that they are just as dangerous as any unflavored cigarette," said Sunday Azagba, lead author of the report and a scientist at Propel.

The study found that menthol users smoked an average of 43 cigarettes a week. This is close to double the 26 smoked by non-menthol users. It also found that menthol smokers were almost three times more likely to report that they intend to continue smoking in the next year.

For the study, researchers examined a nationally representative sample of more than 4,500 smokers in Canadian high schools drawn from Health Canada's 2010-2011 Youth Smoking Survey.

According to researchers, one in 10 Canadian high school students from Grades 10 to 12 are current smokers, despite the well-documented health risks associated with tobacco use. The national Youth Smoking Survey has found that 32 percent of smokers in high school smoke menthols.

"There is a growing concern that the high popularity of menthol cigarettes among youth may hinder the recent progress in preventing other young people from smoking because many of them may experiment with menthol rather than unflavored brands," said Azagba.

Canada implemented a ban on the sale of most flavored cigarettes, little cigars and blunt wraps, but not menthol in July 2010. Alberta is the only province to include a ban on menthol cigarettes in provincial legislation, though it is not yet in force. In April 2014, the European Union (EU) adopted a new Tobacco Products Directive that will see all 28 EU countries implement a ban on menthol cigarettes.

"Our findings indicate that youth smoking of menthol cigarettes is a serious concern," said Azagba. "It's clear moving forward that we need new laws to ban all added flavors in all tobacco products."