WASHINGTON — Moving closer to a decision on whether to ban menthol in cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration released a scientific review on Tuesday that found the mint flavoring made it easier to start smoking and harder to quit, and solicited public comment on “potential regulation” of menthol flavored cigarettes.

These steps pleased smoking opponents who have been calling for F.D.A. action since 2009, when Congress exempted menthol from a ban on flavors in cigarettes, leaving the agency to decide whether its use is a danger to public health. Menthol cigarettes account for about a third of all cigarettes sold in the United States and are particularly popular among black smokers, about four out of five of whom report smoking them, according to federal surveys.

Still, the action was only an intermediate step in what advocates say has been a prolonged regulatory process and comes at a time when menthol smoking rates for young adults have been increasing.

Many had expected the F.D.A. to act on menthol in 2011 after a Congressionally mandated committee of outside experts, convened by the agency, found that menthol had a negative effect on public health. The findings by the agency on Tuesday echoed those conclusions, leaving smoking opponents frustrated that it had not clearly signaled an intent to ban menthol.