What drives retailer compliance with menthol bans
This diagram explores factors affecting tobacco retailer compliance, emphasizing how policy support and enforcement may increase retailer compliance. It shows reinforcing loops where retailer compliance with a menthol ban results in lower availability of restricted menthol products. It also visualizes balancing loops where reduced availability causes frustration among menthol users due to perceived inconvenience, which may lower retailer compliance. By understanding these dynamics, policymakers can focus on strong city council support, leadership from impacted communities, community awareness-building campaigns, and understanding tobacco industry counter-tactics to enhance retailer compliance.
Cited references
Facilitators included strong city council support, leadership from impacted communities, community awareness-building campaigns, and understanding tobacco industry counter-tactics
Bosma, L. M., D’Silva, J., Moze, J., Matter, C., Kingsbury, J. H., & Brock, B. (2021). Restricting Sales of Menthol Tobacco Products: Lessons Learned from Policy Passage and Implementation in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth, Minnesota. Health Equity, 5(1), 439–447. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0137
Facilitators included strong city council support, leadership from impacted communities, community awareness-building campaigns, and understanding tobacco industry counter-tactics
Bosma, L. M., D’Silva, J., Moze, J., Matter, C., Kingsbury, J. H., & Brock, B. (2021). Restricting Sales of Menthol Tobacco Products: Lessons Learned from Policy Passage and Implementation in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth, Minnesota. Health Equity, 5(1), 439–447. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0137
Facilitators included strong city council support, leadership from impacted communities, community awareness-building campaigns, and understanding tobacco industry counter-tactics
Bosma, L. M., D’Silva, J., Moze, J., Matter, C., Kingsbury, J. H., & Brock, B. (2021). Restricting Sales of Menthol Tobacco Products: Lessons Learned from Policy Passage and Implementation in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth, Minnesota. Health Equity, 5(1), 439–447. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0137
During the follow-up period, 85.5% of retailers reported that educational visits and 62.2% reported that the MAHB flavoured product guidance list were the most helpful for achieving compliance.
Kephart, L., Setodji, C., Pane, J., Shadel, W., Song, G., Robertson, J., Harding, N., Henley, P., & Ursprung, W. W. S. (2019). Evaluating tobacco retailer experience and compliance with a flavoured tobacco product restriction in Boston, Massachusetts: impact on product availability, advertisement and consumer demand. Tobacco Control, tobaccocontrol-2019-055124. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055124
Between the first and last rounds of compliance checks, violations for sale of tobacco to a minor decreased by 12 percentage points to 2%
Pearlman, D. N., Arnold, J. A., Guardino, G. A., & Welsh, E. B. (2019). Advancing Tobacco Control Through Point of Sale Policies, Providence, Rhode Island. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16, 180614. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180614
Initially, smokers reacted negatively because they were frustrated with the inconvenience of having to travel to find menthol cigarettes.
D’Silva, J., O’Gara, E., Fryer, C. S., & Boyle, R. G. (2021). “Because There’s Just Something About That Menthol”: Exploring African American Smokers’ Perspectives on Menthol Smoking and Local Menthol Sales Restrictions. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(2), 357–363. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa164
There was also concern that cigarettes would cost more at tobacco shops. They’re already a dollar and something higher than… the [convenience] stores. So it’s like they’re trying to take advantage and I don’t like being taken advantage of. (Female, 43)
D’Silva, J., O’Gara, E., Fryer, C. S., & Boyle, R. G. (2021). “Because There’s Just Something About That Menthol”: Exploring African American Smokers’ Perspectives on Menthol Smoking and Local Menthol Sales Restrictions. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(2), 357–363. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa164
Some felt they were being unfairly treated and did not understand why restrictions singled out menthol and did not apply to non-menthol tobacco products. … if you take the menthol but you leave the regular that’s just stupid. ... and I ain’t gonna lie, it gave me an attitude. How are you gonna take the menthol but you gonna leave everybody else a cigarette? It just don’t make no sense. (Female, 45)
D’Silva, J., O’Gara, E., Fryer, C. S., & Boyle, R. G. (2021). “Because There’s Just Something About That Menthol”: Exploring African American Smokers’ Perspectives on Menthol Smoking and Local Menthol Sales Restrictions. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(2), 357–363. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa164
Point prevalence cessation rates were similar between groups
Kotlyar, M., Shanley, R., Dufresne, S. R., Corcoran, G. A., Okuyemi, K. S., Mills, A. M., & Hatsukami, D. K. (2021b). Effects on time to lapse of switching menthol smokers to non-menthol cigarettes prior to a cessation attempt: a pilot study. Tobacco Control, 30(5), 574–577. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055689
Under a menthol ban, the percent that would remain combustible users was expected to drop from 80.6% to 50.5% (40.3% nonmenthol cigarettes, 6.5% illicit menthol cigarettes, and 3.7% nonmenthol cigars), a 30.1 percentage point (pp) reduction.
Levy, D. T., Cadham, C. J., Sanchez-Romero, L. M., Knoll, M., Travis, N., Yuan, Z., Li, Y., Mistry, R., Douglas, C. E., Tam, J., Sertkaya, A., Warner, K. E., & Meza, R. (2021). An Expert Elicitation on the Effects of a Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Cigars in the United States. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(11), 1911–1920. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntab121
Under a menthol ban, the percent that would remain combustible users was expected to drop from 80.6% to 50.5% (40.3% nonmenthol cigarettes, 6.5% illicit menthol cigarettes, and 3.7% nonmenthol cigars), a 30.1 percentage point (pp) reduction. About a quarter (a 15.6 pp increase) were expected to switch to NNDP use, while 3.7% would switch to smokeless tobacco and 21.7% would quit all tobacco use.
Levy, D. T., Cadham, C. J., Sanchez-Romero, L. M., Knoll, M., Travis, N., Yuan, Z., Li, Y., Mistry, R., Douglas, C. E., Tam, J., Sertkaya, A., Warner, K. E., & Meza, R. (2021). An Expert Elicitation on the Effects of a Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Cigars in the United States. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(11), 1911–1920. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntab121
Under a ban, experts expected 55.1% to remain combustible users (45.7% nonmenthol cigarettes, 5.7% illicit menthol cigarettes, and 3.7% nonmenthol cigars), resulting in a reduction in combustible product use of 20.1 pp. One-fifth (20.0%) were expected to switch to NNDP use (a 10.3 pp increase from the Status Quo), while 2.4% would switch to smokeless tobacco (a 0.2 pp decrease) and 22.5% quit all tobacco use (10 pp increase).
Levy, D. T., Cadham, C. J., Sanchez-Romero, L. M., Knoll, M., Travis, N., Yuan, Z., Li, Y., Mistry, R., Douglas, C. E., Tam, J., Sertkaya, A., Warner, K. E., & Meza, R. (2021). An Expert Elicitation on the Effects of a Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Cigars in the United States. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 23(11), 1911–1920. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntab121
Approximately one-third (30.7%) perceived that the menthol ban helped them with smoking cessation.
Soule, E. K., Dubray, J., Cohen, J. E., Schwartz, R., & Chaiton, M. (2021). Smoking cessation strategies used by former menthol cigarette smokers after a menthol ban. Addictive Behaviors, 123, 107046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107046
