Menthol filters and rolling papers likely undermining UK ban on menthol cigarettes

Menthol cigarettes are popular among young people as they are perceived to be easier to inhale and to have a taste that is less harsh. They have also been wrongly viewed as less harmful than non-flavoured cigarettes.

UK legislation that came into force in May 2020 aimed to curb their use, banning cigarettes with a “characterising flavour”. However, previous research by the same UCL team found that a million adults (one in seven adult smokers) still reported using menthol-flavoured cigarettes after the ban.

The new study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, found a substantial increase in roll-your-own tobacco use among those smokers who reported using menthol flavouring, from 50% in October 2020 to 62% by June 2022.

The researchers, who looked at survey responses from over 82,000 adults in Great Britain from October 2020 to October 2023, found that roll-your-own was more popular among smokers using menthol flavouring than those not using flavourings, with menthol smokers 30% more likely to roll their own cigarettes.

Lead author Dr Vera Buss, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “About one in seven smokers still reported using menthol cigarettes in late 2023 – roughly the same proportion as reported doing so in October 2020, after the menthol ban came into force.

“Our findings suggest that allowing menthol accessories like filters may have weakened the impact of the ban.

“Further actions, such as banning menthol accessories or limiting their advertising, may be needed to reduce menthol smoking.”

Accessories that can be added to hand-rolled tobacco to introduce a menthol flavour include filters, rolling papers and sprays. Researchers said these were more convenient to use than accessories designed to add a menthol flavour to factory-made cigarettes, such as drops or crush balls that are added to the filter, or infusion cards that are placed in packs.

That is because infusion cards just need to be placed in packs an hour before smoking, while an applicator is required to insert balls into a factory-made cigarette filter.

Menthol filters or papers, meanwhile, can just be used instead of non-mentholated ones when rolling a cigarette, so no additional steps are required.

Other ways to circumvent the ban include purchasing cigarettes perceived to contain menthol flavouring without being labelled as such, and buying menthol-flavoured cigarettes illicitly.

Previous research by the same team found that only about 15% of survey respondents who smoked menthol-flavoured cigarettes reported purchasing from illicit sources in the previous six months – a similar proportion to those who smoked non-flavoured cigarettes. Illicit purchases, the researchers said, were therefore unlikely a driver of the relatively high prevalence of menthol cigarette smoking in Great Britain.

Senior author Professor Lion Shahab, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “Our findings highlight the need to evaluate the impact of legislation thoroughly, whether it is on menthol cigarettes or proposed restrictions on e-cigarettes. The tobacco industry has form when it comes to circumventing regulations, and for this reason, legislation has to be drafted carefully so it has the desired effect and avoids unintended consequences.”

Links

• The paper in Nicotine & Tobacco Research
• Dr Vera Buss’s academic profile
• Professor Lion Shahab’s academic profile
• UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group
• Smoking Toolkit Study
• UCL Behavioural Science & Health
• UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care
• UCL Population Health Sciences

Image

• Credit: iStock / Terroa

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Mark Greaves

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