Could the menthol cigarette ban boost the popularity of e-cigs?
As menthol-flavoured tobacco is axed in May, many could turn to other alternatives to kick the habit
TOM JENKINS
Prefers tea.
Menthol cigarettes will be pulled from the shelves later this year, as a strict new law comes into effect.
It’s an attempt to reduce smoking’s appeal to young people, due to its well-documented harmful effects.
The ban comes from new EU legislation, which completely outlaws flavoured tobacco products.
Despite a drop of around 1.8 million in the number of smokers in the UK in the last 8 years (according to the most recent NHS figures), tobacco is still a prominent part of many retailers’ assortments.
Convenience and supermarket stores are therefore expected to increase their e-cigarette offering, to help offset the lost sales as a result of the menthol ban.
Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, Professor John Britton, says that, while we don’t know the full extent of the risk vaping poses, it’s still a better option than regular cigarettes.
“They’re definitely a viable alternative,” he says. “They don’t work for everyone, nothing does, but there is already a substantial proportion of smokers who have switched to vaping.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
E-cigarettes could gain popularity to make up for lost sales of menthol cigarettes. Photo: Vaping360
“The ban will definitely make cigarettes less tolerable or attractive,” he adds, “particularly to younger smokers, although most will just revert to unflavoured tobacco.”
Lucy Roberts, a student from Liverpool, has smoked menthol cigarettes for a number of years. She says regular tobacco isn’t an alternative, so vaping is the only choice.
“I just can’t stand the taste of tobacco,” she says, “which is why menthol appealed more in the first place. Now it’s being taken off the market, I’m changing to using a Juul, and I hope it’ll help me quit altogether.”
The ban will come into effect on 20 May.