Massachusetts ($8.77): $9.95 = +13% 2
Ando, M
A coat of paint seems like a simple solution but is often not enough
In the United States, all 50 states have laws that make it illegal to sell tobacco to people under the age of 18
The law prohibited the sale of menthol cigarettes, which are not subject to federal restrictions on flavoured cigarette sales.7 California is the second US state with such a law, preceded only by Massachusetts, which was effective June 2020.8 Following this, some major menthol cigarette brands introduced new cigarette variants advertised as non-menthol in these states.9 However, certain new brand variants were marketed, through various channels including outdoor ads, on brand websites and through direct mail, with messaging suggesting they were designed specifically for people who smoked menthol cigarettes (eg, Your answer to Californias menthol ban and Your favorite menthol styles are gone, but weve crafted two new non-menthol blends with you in mind.).9 10 Despite the use of the term non-menthol on pack labels and accompanying ads, both packaging and ads feature colour schemes (ie, green, blue), terminology (eg, fresh, and green or blue) and imagery (eg, water) commonly found in marketing of menthol cigarettes.9 Previous studies have found that youth recognise green cigarette packaging and colour schemes as denoting menthol.11 12 The current study examines whether young people in the USA expect new non-menthol brand variants to have a minty or menthol taste based on their packaging and/or advertising, and identify individual characteristics associated with these perceptions
