Born in the USA.

The US is attempting to instate a slew of measures to reduce tobacco harm, including banning menthol cigs, reducing nicotine contents, and steeper taxes for vape products. A draconian approach really, one that which completely ignores the massive success rate that vaping has had in the UK at reducing smoking rates.

Menthol cigarettes make up for one third of the tobacco market, and are mostly used by poorer Black Americans. Banning them, “will most likely contribute to overcriminalization in Black communities already struggling to determine the role that policing should play in their neighbourhoods.”

The shift in focus has arisen due to a number of Black lawmakers supporting the ban. Rep. Joyce Beatty and Rep. Karen Bass being the driving force to have it enacted.

Not banning tobacco products outright may have encouraged smokers to make the switch to vaping, but the US are slamming that door shut too. To date they have already put a flavour ban in place in the use of pods, and through the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, plans are being raised to “close the loopholes” in the tax code, meaning a greedy cash grab on vaping products.

In doing so, the American government will single-handedly make vaping a significantly attractive alternative to smoking.

At some point, the USA will come to realise the huge mistake it is making, but this doesn’t look as though it will be happening any time soon.