How Can Vaping Help After The Menthol Cigarette Ban

You may or may not have heard the news that menthol cigarettes will be banned in the UK and the EU on May 20th. If you smoke menthols, you might be worried about what the ban means for you and your daily habit, but we’re here to let you know that vaping can provide an alternative and can even help you become smoke-free. Let’s find out what’s, what. 

Menthol Cigarettes Set to Be Banned This May

As we mentioned, this May, menthol cigarettes, along with a range of other tobacco products, will no longer be available to purchase. The imminent move is part of a four-year phasing out period that formed a set of new guidelines by the Tobacco Product Directive (TPD). But why menthol cigarettes we hear you ask? Known to relax the airways, as well as masking the flavour and harshness of tobacco, menthol cigarettes are more comfortable to smoke, which makes them an appealing option for those who may not otherwise smoke. 

With 75% of smokers trying their first cigarette before the age of 18, removing items such as menthol cigarettes and other novel tobacco products, also aims to remove the appeal that they may have for underage smokers. Those who smoke menthol cigarettes account for 25% of the smoking population throughout the UK and EU. Therefore TPD hopes that this May’s ban may reduce the number of smokers by up to 2.4 million.

Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable deaths, accounting of 16% of all adult deaths in England. Reducing the number of smokers and providing a smoke-free future means that unnecessary burdens on health services can be significantly reduced. 

How Can Vaping Help?

You may smoke menthol cigarettes because you like their minty fresh flavour that hides the taste of tobacco. Perhaps you smoke them because they’re less harsh than conventional cigarettes. Whatever your reason for doing so, the reality is that you will no longer be able to buy your favourite flavour of smokes. Rather than opt for an alternative which will continue to wreak havoc with your health, why not try and quit smoking and lead a healthier lifestyle. 

Instead of trying to cope with the pain and frustration that going ‘cold turkey’ can bring, easing your way out of your nicotine addiction by vaping, will reduce the irritability that your body faces when withdrawing from nicotine. By quitting smoking and switching to vaping, you’ll find that your face a gentle escape from your smoking habit that may just result in you becoming smoke-free and leading a healthier lifestyle. 

Did you know that vaping e-cigarettes can be up to 95% less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes? Cited by Public Health England in their 2015 independent review of vaping, the same document also mentions that e-cigarettes have the potential to help smokers become smoke-free altogether. 

Vaping is not entirely risk-free; however, the low temperatures that e-cigarettes heat e-liquid at means that the harm your body experiences is considerably reduced. E-liquid is available in several nicotine strengths (0%, 0.6%, 1.2% and 1.8%) to suit the strength of tobacco products you might be used to. For instance, the highest concentration of nicotine (1.8%) is particularly suitable for strong cigarette and rolling tobacco smokers. In contrast, the lower strengths of 0.6% and 1.2% are ideal for those who are used to smoking moderate and mild strength cigarettes, respectively. 

The range of nicotine strengths means that you’ll be able to start your smoke-free journey with a strength of e-liquid you feel familiar with, before moving on to lower concentrations until you reach a 0% strength and nicotine and are free of addiction. Free of your addiction to nicotine, you’ll be able to enjoy a renewed lease of life as well as the multitude of health benefits that being both smoke-free and nicotine-free affords. 

The Best E-Liquid for Menthol Smokers

To stop smoking has historically been notoriously difficult, however vaping provides a familiar route that can help your journey become that bit more comfortable. As you stop smoking and start vaping, your experience and whether you enjoy the experience will be a hugely important aspect of whether you will refrain from smoking cigarettes and maintain a smoke-free status. The critical thing to remember when you start vaping is to keep things simple – avoid buying bulky and expensive gear that looks like you need a degree in quantum physics to operate them. Avoiding a bad experience with your vaporiser or purchasing unnecessary equipment are all factors to consider when you quit smoking and start vaping.  

Buying a simple Vaping Starter Kit such as Vapour2’s containing everything you need to start vaping straight away, these packs contain an e-cigarette battery, USB charger, as well as the all-important e-liquid cartridges that contain your nicotine and flavours ready to be vaped. 

Both starter packs come with pre-filled cartridges that are simply screwed onto the end. Because these standard e-cigarettes are draw-activated, there are no buttons to press, which makes it a genuinely fuss-free way to vape when your nicotine cravings come calling.

The good news is that while menthol cigarettes are set to be banned this May, the same does not apply to e-liquids. This means that you’ll still be able to enjoy the crisp and cool flavours of menthol and give up smoking at the same time.