With less than a week before the ban on menthol and capsule cigarettes comes into force, a new paper from Forest challenges the government’s attachment to “creeping prohibition”.

According to author Rob Lyons:

“Like every example of prohibition in the past, the ban on menthol cigarettes is a restriction of our liberties. It will fuel the black market and potentially criminalise people who have previously enjoyed their favourite brands without fuss. And for all the problems it will create, it will have little or no effect on smoking rates. It is a terrible policy.”

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said:

“Britain is sleepwalking to prohibition. Policies such as the display ban and plain packaging have tried to denormalise tobacco but the product has always been available to adults who choose to smoke. 

“Now we’re seeing the elimination of products that account for almost a quarter of all cigarettes sold in the UK. Adults are being treated like children and consumer choice is being eradicated in pursuit of a mythical smoke-free utopia.”

‘Prohibition: A bad idea that won’t go away’ is available from the Forest website. Click here.