Canada
The federal government of Canada has served notice it is moving to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes because of their appeal to young and first-time smokers. The process originates in 2009, when the former conservative government banned most flavored tobacco products.
At the time, menthol cigarettes were exempted, but this is about to change. “By banning menthol flavoring, which is shown to be popular amongst those under 25, we can help steer youth away from experimenting with tobacco in the first place,” said health minister Jane Philpott in a news release.
The notice from the health department says a smoking survey in 2012 found that 37% of young smokers reported smoking a menthol cigarette in the previous 30 days. In 2014, menthol tobacco products made up almost 5% of the total tobacco market, with menthol cigarettes making up 98% of sales.
Five provinces — Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia — already ban menthol cigarettes and Prince Edward Island has legislation pending.
Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society says menthol serves no other purpose than to mask the harsh taste of tobacco for new smokers.
“There’s absolutely no reason why an addictive, cancer-causing product such as cigarettes should have flavoring to make it taste better. And so a ban on menthol is absolutely the right thing to do.”