Menthol cigarettes will be banned from April 1. Here’s why – and what else is changing
- Written by Becky Freeman, Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney
New laws come into effect in Australia today that change the look, ingredients, and packaging of tobacco products.
The Australian government passed the package of tobacco laws in late 2023, which include:
standardised tobacco pack and cigarette stick sizes, no more novelty pack sizes or cigarette lengths
updated and improved graphic health warnings and quitting advice inserts within all tobacco packs
warnings printed directly on cigarettes
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banning ingredients that make tobacco taste better and easier to smoke, including menthol.
Retailers have a three-month grace period to sell any old stock already in their stores by July 1.
Here’s what’s behind these changes – and what needs to happen next.
New graphic health warnings
Cigarette packaging requirements have been stagnant since 2012, when Australia introduced plain packaging laws that banned the use of all on-pack logos and branding. This was a world-first.
While large graphic health warnings are effective in both preventing smoking uptake and aiding quitting smoking, the effects wear out if warnings are not refreshed and varied.
Cigarette packages must carry one of ten new health warnings. Fresh warnings that smoking doubles the risk of cervical cancer and leads to diabetes will be new information for many smokers.
There are also warnings for roll-your-own, cigar, bidi and shisha tobacco packaging.
Warnings on cigarettes
Cigarettes themselves must now include one of eight health warnings printed directly on the filter paper.
Canada was the first country in the world to adopt similar requirements in 2023.
The size, shape, and colour of cigarettes has also been standardised to prevent tobacco companies from using unique cigarette designs to attract new users. Long, thin cigarettes, for example, have been marketed to women as a fashion accessory and diet tool for nearly a century.
The ingredients permitted in cigarettes are also changing, with ingredients that enhance the flavour of tobacco being now banned. The long list of prohibited ingredients includes everything from cloves, to sugar, to probiotics and vitamins.
Until now, the tobacco industry has had free reign to add ingredients that increase the palatability and attractiveness of cigarettes. This banned list also captures menthol and any ingredients that mimic the cooling properties of menthol.
Why ban menthol?
Menthol masks the harshness of smoke. Just like cold lollies that contain menthol to soothe sore throats and tame coughs, menthol in cigarettes prevents inexperienced smokers from reacting to the rough effects of tobacco smoke in the throat. This helps to make smoking a more pleasant experience that young users will return to.
The introduction of crushable menthol capsules in cigarette filters has proven very popular with Australian teenagers. Teens who use these products are more likely to have recently smoked and have higher smoking intentions in the future. The new laws also explicitly prohibit these “crush balls” or “flavour beads.”
Other counties that have banned menthol have seen drops in tobacco sales and use and increases in quitting behaviours.
No similar reforms for the United States
Menthol cigarettes have been heavily marketed to African American people since at least the 1950s and make up one-third of the total US cigarette market share. Tobacco control groups in the US have been advocating for a menthol ban for well over a decade.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule banning menthol in 2022, and a 2024 US Surgeon General report highlighted that menthol products increase addiction and are:
disproportionately used by Black people, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people, women and people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Under the Biden Administration, the FDA delayed issuing the final rule which meant the ban was not properly enacted before Trump was elected.
In January 2025, the Trump administration completely withdrew the ban.
A menthol ban in the US was predicted to reduce total smoking by 15% and the number of smoking attributable deaths among African Americans by up to 238,000.
Reforms needed to stamp out our illicit market
Organised criminals are operating in Australia’s tobacco supply chain to illegally import and sell tobacco products. Government action to step in and gain control of that supply system is long overdue.
Until this year, Australia’s two most populous states didn’t even require tobacco sellers to be licensed, and Queensland only introduced licensing last year.
Australia will need to change how tobacco is sold. It should not be so easy and commonplace to sell such an addictive and deadly product.
Both state and national governments need timely and transparent reporting on the size and scope of the illicit market, and strict licensing of the entire tobacco supply chain.
Businesses that sell illicit tobacco must face real consequences – not only large fines and loss of licences to operate, but also criminal charges.
All aspects of the tobacco supply chain – from wholesalers to retailers – must be tightly controlled.
Authors: Becky Freeman, Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney
