Ban on menthol cigarette sales takes effect

The ban on the sale of menthol flavoured cigarettes has come into force today (20 May).

The measure, which follows from an EU directive and is adopted in the UK law, has no transition period for retailers to sell any remaining stock.

The ban also applies to capsule, click on, click & roll, crushball or dual menthol cigarettes, but not to heated tobacco products or e-cigarette products.

Rolling tobacco and flavoured cigars and cigarillos are also exempted from the ban.

While selling of cigarettes/RYO tobacco packaged together with flavoured filters or papers will be banned, retailers could sell flavoured filters and papers in the same transaction as tobacco products.

Nearly 40 per cent of smokers unaware of menthol ban: survey

In another regulatory change, the sell through period for tobacco track and trace will end today.

Retailers need to remove products that are not compliant with the regulation from sale.

The measure, which came into force on 20 may 2019, has put in place a new method of tracking the sale of legitimate tobacco products through the supply chain.