Sale of menthol cigarettes is now banned

The sale of menthol cigarettes is now banned in the UK and EU.

The production and sale of menthol filters, paper, packaging and capsules has now been outlawed in an attempt to dispel the myth that they are better for you. While vaping products, heated tobacco products, flavoured cigarillos may still be sold.

Retailers are also still allowed to sell cigarettes described as green, as long as the cigarettes themselves do not contain menthol.

The European Union Revised Tobacco Products Directive makes it an offence for manufacturers to produce menthol cigarettes and retailers to sell menthol cigarettes from May 20th – and Brexit will not stop the law being enforced in the UK.

All retailers will need to have an Economic Operator Identifier Code (EOID) and Facility Identifier Codes (FIC) for each of their stores, in order to buy cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.

Without these codes, tobacco suppliers and wholesalers cannot by law sell any cigarettes or hand-rolling tobacco products to retailers.

For more guidance visit the Government website here.