Footnote:
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments February 1, 2022 erstellt
Description:
Abstract. Menthol cigarettes have been viewed as a scourge on youth because they have facilitated initiation and made quitting more difficult. Many jurisdictions have banned menthol-flavored combustible cigarettes. However, while bans on menthol cigarettes are favored by public-health professionals and advocates, their efficacy may be limited. Carpenter and Nguyen (2021) found that both prevalence and sales were minimally impacted by bans imposed by federal and provincial governments in Canada. Their analysis focused upon consumer substitution. This essay analyzes the supply side of the market with a view to providing additional understanding of why the Canadian bans had such a limited impact. I show that consumer ‘success’ in evading bans in Canada was aided by the structure of the marketplace and the array of borderline-legal products introduced by tobacco companies immediately prior to the bans. The paper concludes by examining the US market, where the Food and Drug Administration has a menthol ban as a goal. I argue that both the efficiency and ethical grounds for a menthol ban have weakened since the mid two thousand teens