TY - JOUR T1 - Tobacco companies’ exploitation of loopholes in the EU ban on menthol cigarettes: a case study from Denmark JF - Tobacco Control JO - Tob Control DO - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057213 SP - tobaccocontrol-2021-057213 AU - Anne-Line Brink AU - Andrea Stadil Glahn AU - Niels Them Kjaer Y1 - 2022/03/20 UR - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2022/03/20/tobaccocontrol-2021-057213.abstract N2 - Since May 2020, cigarettes and roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco with a characterising flavour of menthol have been banned in the European Union (EU) owing to the European Tobacco Products Directive (EU TPD). Other characterising flavours were banned in 2016. Cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobacco, heated tobacco and tobacco accessories are exempt from the ban.1Despite the ban, a substantial proportion of adolescents and young adults in Denmark still smoke menthol cigarettes (29% pre-ban vs 20% post-ban).2 3 This may be due to tobacco industry tactics to circumvent the ban. This paper provides insights into the response of the tobacco industry to the implementation of the menthol ban in Denmark. In this case study, we identify loopholes in the characterising flavour ban and discuss how to make bans on menthol-flavoured tobacco most effective. The analysis is based on screening tobacco products using online tobacco stores, and samples of cigarette packages, tobacco flavour accessories, and menthol-flavoured cigarette-like products purchased between December 2019 and January 2022.Flavoured tobacco accessoriesVarious types of tobacco flavour accessories to insert into cigarette packs, cigarette filters and RYO tobacco have been introduced to the Danish market. These products enable users to customise their cigarettes with menthol and sweet flavours. In some cases, the products are produced by tobacco companies (figure 1). After the ban, 3.4% of smokers aged 25–29 years used flavour accessories.4 Moreover, there was an increase in the use of RYO tobacco among adult smokers (13% pre-ban vs 17% post-ban).2 3Figure 1 Examples of tobacco flavour accessories marketed in Denmark. (A) Menthol filter sprays (Egogreen and Ottaman). (B) Menthol drops (Instahit). (C) Capsules with menthol, candy and soft drinks flavours (Aroma King and Hoffmann). (D) Menthol flavour stone (Flavor By Stone). (E) Loose mint filter tips for cigarettes with recessed filters (FlavorMe, King’s Tobacco International). (F) Menthol … ER -