欧盟修订的烟草制品指令（TPD）禁止生产和销售薄荷醇卷烟。尽管英国脱欧，但该禁令也适用于英国，包括capsule, click on, click & roll, crushball 或者 dual薄荷醇双重卷烟，且不包括雾化和加热的烟草产品。该措施将于5月20日生效，任何被发现在整个欧盟销售薄荷醇产品的人将被处以最高1000欧元的罚款。

烟草情报，独立来源于烟草行业的专家评论和数据，其研究表明，许多零售商正计划将以前薄荷醇卷烟所占据的货架空间用于替代产品，如雾化和加热的烟草（加热不燃烧）产品。

烟草情报新闻编辑大卫·帕拉西奥斯（David Palacios）说：“将薄荷醇吸烟者转变为风险较低的替代品的机会很大。” “例如，仅在英国，据估计，从下周三开始，目前使用薄荷醇卷烟的130万人将需要寻找替代产品。”

美国的愚蠢做法

同时，由于美国仍主要集中在禁止电子烟上，迄今为止，具有讽刺意味的是，美国对更为致命的产品仍保持了宽松的立场。例如，已修改了一项立法，禁止在科罗拉多州使用所有调味的雾化和烟草产品，以允许销售薄荷卷烟。

同样，新泽西州议员已经不再坚持禁止销售薄荷卷烟，而是将精力集中在禁止在雾化产品中使用香精的法案上。在佛蒙特州立法者准备颁布对加香烟草和雾化产品的禁令的同时，烟草业正在竭尽全力阻止该法案中禁止薄荷醇的部分。

The EU Menthol Ban Could Help More Smokers Switch to Safer Alternatives

July 7, 2020

The European Union Revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) has banned the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes. Despite Brexit, this ban also applies to the UK and includes capsule, click on, click & roll, crushball or dual menthol cigarettes, and excludes vaping and heated tobacco products. The measure goes into effect on the 20th of May, and anyone caught selling the menthol products across the European Union (EU) could be fined up to €1,000.

Research by TobaccoIntelligence, an independent source of expert commentary and data about the tobacco industry, has indicated that many retailers are planning to use the shelf space previously occupied by menthol cigarettes for alternatives such as vaping and heated tobacco (heat-not-burn) products.

“The opportunities to convert menthol smokers to less risky alternatives are substantial,” said TobaccoIntelligence managing news editor David Palacios. “In the UK alone, for example, it is estimated that 1.3 million people currently using menthol cigarettes will need to find an alternative product from next Wednesday.”

The US’s senseless approach

Meanwhile, as the US remains primarily focused on banning e-cigarettes, it has ironically so far retained a relaxed stance towards the much deadlier products. For example, a legislation to ban all flavoured vaping and tobacco products in Colorado has been amended to allow the sales of menthol cigarettes.

Similarly, New Jersey lawmakers have halted efforts to stop sales of menthol cigarettes, to instead focus their efforts on a bill that bans flavours in vaping products. While as Vermont lawmakers prepare to enact a ban on flavoured tobacco and vaping products, the tobacco industry is doing its utmost to block the part of the bill which would ban menthols.