WHAT BAN?
On May 20th the planned European ban on Menthol cigarettes comes into effect and for menthol cigarette smokers, life may never be the same again. At least that’s what some advertisers are saying, because the Menthol Tobacco Market is worth around £1-2 billion per year in the UK alone, and that spending now appears to be ‘up for grabs’.
Publicly advertising tobacco products has been banned for years, but in the last 12 months, the retail and convenience store trade press has seen a massive investment spend in advertising cigarette alternatives, and its not just come from Vape companies as you might think, Big Tobacco advertising is back, though on reflection, Big Tobacco advertising never really went away.
So the groups trying to reach Menthol Cigarette Smokers are: Big Tobacco, vape companies and the health lobby who want people to stop smoking entirely.
WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO MENTHOL CIGARETTES?
Its probably worth noting that Menthol cigarettes are made in several ways, for example, menthol can be added as an ingredient to tobacco, roll-up paper can be menthol flavoured, and filters can have embedded ‘crush balls’ that are squeezed to release menthol flavoured liquid directly into a cigarette’s filter. All of these solutions are going to be banned on May 20th, and any stock held over by the retailer has to be returned to the manufacturer – it will be illegal to sell (or buy) a menthol cigarette in Europe (yes that still means us in the UK) on May 20th.
So what are the alternatives? Well you could stop smoking, there are plenty of courses to help guide you and you’ll save a lot of money. A menthol smoker could move to one of brand new ‘heated tobacco’ products developed by the Tobacco companies – who really, really, don’t want to say goodbye. The third alternative is to look at a vape solution.
Vaping does not mean you have start creating rich thick clouds and start wearing a baseball hat, though you can if you want to. Vaping doesn’t even mean you have to learn another geek language and start trawling the internet to find out what a box mod is, though again, you can if you want to. Vaping means you switch from menthol tobacco to a menthol flavoured e-liquid, using a device that can look like a cigarette, so at least the shape and weight are familiar, and you … drum roll please … save money AND reduce your health risk by 95%! That’s straight from Public Health England, who actually had to say it twice because they didn’t think people believed them the first time! Vaping can start off with a simple £5.99 investment in a menthol flavoured disposable e-cigarette that’s rated to last as long as a pack of cigarettes (300 puffs on the variable puff scale which has emerged as a ‘measuring scale’ in recent months). A disposable menthol e-cigarette has significant advantages for a traditional smoker, it’s pre-filled with a menthol flavoured vape liquid – so if you don’t like the flavour, you saved yourself buying a whole bottle to find out, and it’s pre-charged, so batteries are ready to kick in as soon as you unwrap it and inhale, no buttons, no super big clouds (sorry) and no fuss, and who wants fuss?
For those who want to try different menthol flavours, Vape Dinner Lady offers Blue Menthol and Fresh Menthol as Disposable Vape Pens, and if you want to try others, the company manufactures these flavours and three more as liquids that can be added to pod, pen and box vape kits: Cherry Menthol, Ice Menthol and Spearmint.
WHERE CAN I BUY A MENTHOL CIGARETTE AFTER MAY 20th 2020
Haven’t you been reading this blog from the beginning, you can’t buy a Menthol cigarette anywhere in Europe, from May 20th 2020, I’m sorry. If you want to know where you can buy a disposable menthol e-cigarette I do have some good news. The Dinner Lady Disposable Vape Pen is available from supermarkets (e.g. Asda), online retailers (e.g. Argos Online), online vape stores (e.g. www.vapedinnerlady.com and www.mycigara.com) and Euro Garages up and down the country.
If you want a great resource to find the correct device for you, also be sure to check out news and reviews from Ecigclick - such as their detailed and comprehensive vape pen guide.
Vaping kit and e-liquids can now be found in many convenience stores and larger high-street retailers. Specialist Vape Stores will usually offer superior product knowledge and experience, but there is clear benefit for convenience stores to stock easy-to-use vape products that are essentially, convenient.
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL WITH MENTHOL CIGARETTES?
Covid 19 has changed the face of UK retailing along with a lot of our usual habits and past-times; compared to this pandemic, a ban on menthol seems pretty insignificant, because it is; even if you absolutely love menthol cigarettes. So yes, a minor change for smokers is coming on May 20th, there are alternatives out there, and there are much bigger things we all have to deal with, but if you want a menthol cigarette because it makes you smile or it gives you a space to think and relax, then don’t worry, you can still get a smile from your menthol vape, however big you like your clouds.
Author: Simon Mehlman
Date: 5th May 2020
