From May 20, menthol cigarettes will finally be over. The EU-wide ban comes into force after a four-year transition phase.
- Menthol cigarettes are prohibited on May 20.
- After a transition phase, the ban on the European Union comes into force.
- However, there are other alternatives.
Munich - smokers of menthol - cigarettes had known for a long time that this day would come: From May 20, flavored tobacco will be banned throughout the EU . This ban was decided years ago - now the transition phase ends . However, there are other alternatives for loyal menthol fans .
Menthol cigarettes: EU ban applies from May 20, 2020
The regulation to ban menthol cigarettes is part of the EU Tobacco Directive , which was adopted in 2014 after laborious negotiations and came into force in 2016 . Since the directive, two thirds of the front and back of cigarette boxes and rolling tobacco packaging have also been reserved for shock pictures and explanatory warnings.
However, the EU set up a four-year transition phase for products with a market share higher than three percent. This now ends on May 20, 2020. * This means that all cigarettes with characteristic flavors are banned in the EU countries without exception because they cover the tobacco taste and thus contribute to the promotion of tobacco consumption.
The rules should lower the smoking rate among adolescents and reduce "cases of premature mortality". The EU Commission is currently carrying out a study on the application of the Tobacco Directive *.
Ban on menthol cigarettes: why the aroma butts are so dangerous
What's So Bad About Menthol Cigarettes? "The biggest problem with menthol is that it has a cooling and pain-relieving, slightly anesthetic effect," says Katrin Schaller from the Cancer Prevention Unit of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. This leads to the fact that the normally scratchy smoke is easier to inhale. That makes menthol cigarettes especially attractive for new smokers.
Shortly before entry into force, the European Court of Justice confirmed the tightened rules. At the beginning of May 2016, the Luxembourg judges rejected lawsuits from Poland and several tobacco companies . With regard to the aromas, they pointed out that products such as menthol cigarettes with a "pleasant aroma" should make smoking more attractive, especially for beginners. EU lawmakers were therefore authorized to ban these products in order to curb tobacco consumption.
Menthol cigarettes banned: alternatives and a possible way of smuggling remain
However, there are further some alternatives for persistent menthol - lovers as about former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was. Before his death in 2015, the EU rule was passed. The then chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück spread the rumor that Schmidt had already taken care of the situation and was able to store menthol cigarettes by the bag at home. *
However, flavors for e-cigarettes * are still not affected by the ban . So the vapers don't have to worry about their flavors. In addition, chewing tobacco , like the Swedish Skruf, is also not affected.
And there is another option for real menthol fans: Switzerland has not yet been affected by the ban , which FM1today.ch reports. Already in 2013, there were fears that menthol cigarettes would be smuggled from Switzerland when the EU ban came into force.
rjs / dpa
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Rainer Jensen