The year 2020 will see Ireland introduce a new law banning the smoking and selling of menthol cigarettes.
The new ruling by the European Court Of Justice has now given the Irish government permission to ban the selling and distribution of menthol cigarettes. The ECJ recently announced new legislation that will actively change how cigarettes should be presented and sold. That incoming law would then subsequently allow any EU member state to ban menthol cigarettes if they wished to do so.
The new ruling has been met with mixed response, with health agencies here welcoming the decison. Although a number of groups have labelled the decision a disgrace and that the Irish government are treating the public like children.
The call for the ban comes after a recent FDA study carried out in the U.S. found that menthol cigarettes are twice as addictive compared to a normal cigarette. However the study did find that menthol cigarettes are no more harmful than ordinary cigarettes.