Spotlight on tobacco industry tactics to circumvent European ban
May 20, 2020
Par: chef-projet@dnf.asso.fr
Dernière mise à jour: May 20, 2020
Temps de lecture: 4 minutes
On the eve of the UK ban on menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco, researchers from the University of Bath have analysed the tobacco industry’s reactions. Their study, published in the Journal BJM Tobacco Control on 17 May 2020, is called “Tobacco industry tactics to circumvent and undermine the UK menthol cigarette ban”.[1] and could not be more explicit.
As a reminder, this ban is the application of the revision of the European Directive in 2014 that the United Kingdom transposed into its legislative system. Coming into force in 2016 in the United Kingdom, four years were given to manufacturers and sellers to prepare for the transition. As of May 20, 2020, menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco will no longer be able to be sold. This ban does not apply to other tobacco products such as cigarillos, cigars, shisha tobacco or accessories sold separately – a loophole that the tobacco industry has been quick to seize.
The analysis carried out by the researchers identifies two major axes in the strategy of the manufacturers: taking advantage of the transitional period and marketing new products. The result would be particularly alarming in that it actually undermines the public health benefits of the ban.
Designed to reduce smoking initiation among young people attracted by the presentation and use of crushable capsules and thus not put off by the smell or taste of tobacco or to facilitate the weaning of tobacco users, the ban was part of a real policy to reduce the prevalence of smoking which, it should be remembered, kills 8 million people each year in the world. Even more serious, the properties of menthol, like the anesthetic properties that can mask the first symptoms of respiratory diseases or the properties that promote the intake of nicotine, have the effect of anchoring consumers in nicotine dependence and consequently, in smoking.
However, the growth of the menthol cigarette market between 2014 and 2018, from 14% to 21% of market share, shows that the tobacco industry has used the transition period granted by the United Kingdom to bounce back from losses in terms of profits. The study specifies that 16% of consumers said they would quit after the sales ban, which would have represented a loss of 3% of market share for manufacturers.
The tobacco industry's solution was to design new products that took advantage of legislative gaps and were supplemented by intense promotion. In 2017, Imperial Brands launched the first menthol accessories that could be added to tobacco products at a later date. It has since been imitated by other manufacturers. In addition, the tobacco industry has set up online platforms for sellers and consumers to ensure the profitability of new products on the one hand and to encourage an adaptation of consumption rather than quitting on the other.
This reaction from the tobacco industry, similar to that used for the neutral packaging in 2016[2], shows once again that their interest is exclusively financial and that it requires the sacrifice of the health of their consumers. They are very creative in terms of tactics that are increasingly questionable as legislative progress is made.
[1] https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2020/05/14/tobaccocontrol-2020-055769
