The anaesthetic effects of menthol in cigarettes enable smokers to inhale cigarette smoke more deeply into the lungs, thereby increasing exposure to the harmful substances in tobacco smoke. In their coverage of the story, different news publications presented the evidence and rationale for the flavourings ban in very different ways. Tobacco companies attempted to undermine the ban in Canada by heavily promoting menthol capsule cigarettes prior to the ban and thereafter by introducing packaging, filter tip colours, and text descriptors that conveyed menthol-like qualities. Higher rates of menthol smoking amongst young Black Americans may explain why they experience greater tobacco-related harm than their White counterparts, despite having lower overall smoking rates.

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In the United States, menthol smoking is highest amongst young people aged 12 to 17, who are more likely to continue smoking and experience greater nicotine dependence than young non-menthol smokers. An article by The Independent, which has 6% of the national newspaper readership, refers to evidence that menthol cigarettes ‘make it easier to start smoking and are popular with young people’ to explain why the ban is happening.

A ban on characterising flavours in tobacco products (including menthol), as part of the European Union’s revised Tobacco Products Directive (or TPD2), was introduced in the UK in May 2020. Despite a global decline in smoking, the number of young people smoking menthol cigarettes has not decreased. The article also quotes an opinion from the Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank with financial links to tobacco companies.

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In a submission about TPD2 to the UK government in 2014, PMI said that the menthol ban ‘lacks evidence’ and would not improve public health, in contradiction to the available evidence and evaluations of other similar bans. The UK government’s most recent Tobacco Control Plan highlights Brexit as an opportunity to review EU tobacco control regulations and identify opportunities for deregulation as a means to improve public health, particularly around e-cigarettes. Furthermore, the industry used the four year ‘phase-out period’ in the UK to promote new menthol products to retailers through the retail trade press, instead of preparing for the ban by phasing out menthol cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco. Menthol cigarettes represent 10% of the global cigarette market, and represented 21% of the UK market prior to the ban.Alternatively, tobacco companies may use it to push for the weakening of existing tobacco control measures. Much of the Twitter activity took place around 23 August 2016, and promoted one of two media articles (see here and here) which suggested that the menthol ban in the UK might be reversed post-Brexit. Flavourings, particularly menthol, appeal to young people and are erroneously perceived as less harmful.