‘Sleepwalking to prohibition’

The Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest) says awareness in the U.K. of the ban on menthol cigarettes, to be introduced on May 20, 2020, is “minimal.”

The group says the ban could also lead to the prohibition of other products that are currently legal but are said to be attractive to young people, including sweets and sugary drinks.

“Britain is sleepwalking to prohibition,” said Simon Clark, director of Forest.

“Policies such as the display ban and plain packaging have tried to denormalise tobacco but the product has always been available to adults who choose to smoke.

“Now we’re seeing the elimination of a product that accounts for almost 20 percent of all cigarettes sold in the U.K.”

Forest has accused the government of doing little to inform the public about the ban.

“Awareness of the ban is minimal. In 12 months over 1 million smokers will walk into their local store and find that a product they’ve been buying for years if not decades is no longer available,” said Clark.

“Some will switch to non-flavored cigarettes, others may switch to menthol vapes and some may quit nicotine completely, but many will turn to the black market where criminals will be happy to meet the demand for illicit menthol fags.”

Forest wants the government to reverse the ban on menthol cigarettes after Britain leaves the European Union.

“The policy was foisted on Britain by the European Union with very little debate and almost no parliamentary scrutiny,”” said Clark.

“Almost one in five smokers in Britain buy menthol cigarettes. Brexit is an opportunity for the U.K. government to restore choice and stand up for consumers.”