Smokers of menthol cigarettes are set for a significant change this year as the government introduces new smoking laws that are due to come into effect this coming May.
Let’s take a look at why menthol cigarettes are being banned, as well as how you can overcome the challenge that it may bring to your daily routine.
Why Are Menthol Cigarettes Being Banned?
If you hadn’t already heard, 2020 started with the news that the government intends to ban menthol cigarettes. As well as a range of other tobacco products such as menthol rolling tobacco and ‘skinny’ cigarettes, the new laws are due to be imposed by 20th May this year.
You may remember that back in 2017, smaller packs of rolling tobacco and packs of 10 cigarettes were outlawed. This latest move is a continuation of a four-year phasing out period in line with the new EU Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) laws, which became applicable to EU countries in 2016. While Britain may be negotiating their exit from the European Union, tobacco laws in the UK still fall under the guidance of the TPD.
One aspect of the phasing out period is focused on deterring young people from smoking. While research shows that two-thirds of smokers start smoking before the age of 18, menthol cigarettes, in particular, are known to relax the airways, and their intense flavour acts to mask the harshness of the smoke.
What’s the Alternative to Menthol Cigarettes?
We all know that smoking is seriously bad for our health, which is why it might not be such bad news that the menthol ban is coming into effect. While you might decide to quit smoking and go cold turkey in protest of your favoured flavoured cigarettes no longer being available to you, fortunately, there is an alternative.
Firstly, avoid at all costs, going down the route of cold turkey. Depending on how much you smoke and how much nicotine is in your system, you will more than likely experience some of the infamous withdrawal symptoms that so many dread. From feeling irritable, to cold sweats and feeling anxious and experiencing headaches – the mental and physical battle can be considerable.
Smokers are Turning to Vaping
To allay any such withdrawal, joining the estimated 3.2 million vapers in the UK is a path more and more smokers are taking in order to live a smoke-free life. Public Health England cites e-cigarettes and vaping to be up to 95% less harmful than smoking, which means you’ll be able to reduce your nicotine levels and eventually remove both smoke and nicotine from your body, slowly, safely and free from the typical withdrawal symptoms.
To make a smooth transition from smoker to vaper, the key to your success will be down to the kind of equipment you use. Now, there are literally hundreds of e-cigarette and vaping brands to choose from, but what we’re looking for is something that simulates the icy blast that a menthol cigarette provides you.
While there might be a range of menthol flavoured e-liquids and e-cigarettes to choose from, one particular device that is proving popular amongst ex-smokers is the RipStick vape device by RipTide, and it’s accompanying flavoured nicotine RipStick Pods. Available in 6 different flavours, choosing the mint flavoured pod will give you the menthol kick that you might soon be missing from your life.
What Makes RipTide and the RipStick Different?
E-cigarettes have proved to be an effective form of cessation for smokers seeking to be smoke-free. Yet, a common criticism is that the experience often lacks the throat hit that is associated with smoking. What sets the RipStick and RipStick Pods apart from its competitors is the technology they use to create the perfect vaping experience.
Where conventional e-liquid products will use pharmaceutical grade nicotine that has been derived from tobacco, RipStick Pods contain NicTech – which is the trademarked name given to tobacco free nicotine created in a lab rather than extracted from the tobacco plant itself. This means that by using RipStick Pods, you’ll be vaping a tobacco-free e-liquid that is even purer than the pharmaceutical-grade nicotine, which contains impurities that can’t be filtered. Since the nicotine is purer, you’ll find that the need to vape isn’t as frequent due to your nicotine cravings being satisfied more quickly.
If you smoke, you’ll know that the smell of tobacco isn’t a hugely appealing one. NicTech is tobacco free nicotine and therefore doesn’t have the same impurities as conventional e-liquids, achieving incredible flavours is a much easier process. Nicotine derived from tobacco requires masking of the tobacco odour before flavours can be formulated. However, RipStick Pods containing this NicTech don’t, which means you’ll experience a more flavourful vape than you’ve experienced before.
Some vapers opt to use nicotine salts in order to experience the throat hit they desire; however, this is achieved by adding benzoic acid to the nicsalts. The RipStick Pods don’t contain any benzoic acid, which means you’ll get the nicotine hit you crave delivered smoothly for your satisfaction. Put simply, if you’re looking for a smooth-tasting vape, then the range of RipTide products will be just what you need in your life right now.
We hope our recommendation is of assistance in this time of change as you look to transition away from menthol cigarettes to vaping. Feel free to contact us for more help and advice. Together, let’s stop smoking.
