E.U. Bans Menthol Cigarettes – Will The U.S Follow?
Cigarettes have been popular with all generations, but it has had a much more profound impact on the youngsters who think it makes them look older and more hip.
Recently, the experts in Europe realized that the youngsters are much more attracted to menthol and other flavored cigarettes much more than the regular alternatives. Even the ones that never had an interest in cigarettes were more likely to start buying menthols by the pack.
Therefore, the UK has banned menthol cigarettes entirely, starting from May 20th 2020 following the E.U. regulations. That means, smokers will have no access to any flavored tobacco products. The youngsters in the U.K. can say goodbye to their menthol cigarettes, rolling tobacco, and skinny cigs.
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However, the ban has had significantly low coverage in the media since Covid-19 has been the primary news for a few weeks. Therefore, the citizens will experience quite a shock come May 20th when they try to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes from a store.
Where Will Menthol Smokers Go Now?
The ban has people wondering how menthol smokers will react. Either this can be a massive opportunity for menthol flavored vape liquid companies, or the regular cigarettes will see an increase in sales. Only time will tell.
Since most youngsters only started smoking because of the flavored cigarettes, they are most likely going to be heading to vape stores. Vaping can help smokers slowly quit their bad habit, and users can vape a large variety of flavors. That’s why people are betting on the vape devices becoming more popular after May 20th.
Will The U.S Follow?
The U.S Food and Drug Administration is quite aware of the fact that companies use flavors to make their tobacco products more appealing. They do this simply because flavors reduce the bitterness and harshness of smoking tobacco cigarettes.
The FDA is also aware of the early reports surrounding the facts that flavored tobacco has the potential to make adults switch to less harmful cigarettes. But on the other hand, the same flavored cigarettes are much more appealing to the young generation.
That is why the FDA has already taken some steps to ban certain flavors that were incredibly appealing to teenagers and kids in America. Although the menthol flavor is still up for sale in the U.S market, the FDA is looking into the options for regulating it and other tobacco flavors in America.
The FDA released reports, telling that over 19.5 million of the American population is currently using menthol cigarettes. Furthermore, the youngsters that are involved in smoking cigarettes are much more likely to purchase menthols than the older generation. Surprisingly, over half the teenage smokers go for menthol cigarettes.
The FDA is currently trying to understand how the flavors influence the use and addiction of tobacco. Their hope is to soon identify the most appropriate regulatory actions to protect the public’s health.