Can I still smoke menthols after the menthol ban?
The menthol ban restricts the production and supply of menthols. It does not restrict people from smoking menthol cigarettes. So, while you won’t be able to buy them in shops anymore, it is not illegal to smoke any menthol cigarettes you might already have.
Many stores selling cigarettes, such as newsagents, corner shops and off-licences, will likely start to run down their stock of menthols before the ban comes into effect, so it may become more difficult to find menthol cigarettes as the ban approaches.
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco alternatives will be available. Heated tobacco is an innovation in the long-standing tobacco market. In heated tobacco products, such as IQOS, tobacco is heated (but not burned like conventional tobacco) to produce vapour and is therefore recognised as a separate category of tobacco products to cigarettes. Unlike e-cigarettes, IQOS uses real tobacco rather than liquids.
Many smokers find that IQOS and TEREA deliver a more familiar and satisfying tobacco experience.
