Menthol Cigarettes in Los Angeles: What You Need to Know in 2025

Does Los Angeles sell menthol cigarettes? Los Angeles has banned menthol cigarettes, but the situation remains complex. California’s 2023 flavored tobacco ban aimed to protect public health, yet tobacco companies discovered ways around it. The ban’s importance becomes clear through stark statistics – Black Americans account for 40% of menthol cigarette-related deaths while representing just 12% of the U.S. population between 1980 and 2018.

Manufacturers like R.J. Reynolds have adapted quickly by launching alternative products that replicate menthol cigarettes’ effects in Los Angeles. Their new “non-menthol” cigarettes use synthetic cooling agents such as WS-3 or contain special capsules that release menthol-like substances when crushed. Los Angeles stores can’t sell traditional menthol cigarettes legally, but these substitute products challenge the regulations’ effectiveness. Let’s examine the ban’s implementation, the tobacco industry’s creative responses, and their impact on public health as we move into 2025.

How the Menthol Ban Unfolded in California

_{Image Source: Los Angeles Times}

California started its trip to ban menthol cigarettes in August 2020. Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 793 (SB 793), which made California the second state after Massachusetts to stop the sale of flavored tobacco products. This groundbreaking law targeted menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products that public health experts had long worried about. Does Los Angeles sell menthol cigarettes?

Timeline of the California menthol ban

The road to putting this law into action wasn’t easy:

• August 28, 2020: Governor Newsom signed SB 793, which stopped the sale of most flavored tobacco products
• November 8, 2022: California voters backed the ban through Proposition 31, with nearly two-thirds voting in favor
• December 2022: The law took effect after tobacco industry challenges delayed it for two years
• October 7, 2023: Governor Newsom signed AB 935 to boost enforcement and add more retail locations
• September 2024: New laws (SB 1230 and AB 3218) added tougher penalties and better enforcement tools

Tobacco companies tried to fight the ban with lawsuits. They claimed federal law should override it. The U.S. Supreme Court ended up refusing to hear their challenge, which kept the state law in place.

Why menthol was targeted

Menthol cigarettes became the biggest problem because they helped people start and stay addicted to tobacco, especially Black Americans. Before the ban, menthol cigarettes made up about 24.5% of legal cigarette sales in California.

Tobacco companies’ focus on Black communities led to huge increases in menthol use. Black smokers using menthol cigarettes jumped from 5% in 1950 to about 85% by 2019. Black Americans factored in 40% of extra deaths from menthol cigarette smoking, yet they make up only 12% of the U.S. population.

Impact on Los Angeles menthol cigarette sales

After the ban started, California’s total tax-paid cigarette sales dropped about 15% from December 2022 to September 2023 compared to the year before. Los Angeles County saw good results at first, but keeping stores compliant became a challenge.

WSPM Group, a market research firm, looked at thrown-away cigarette packs in 10 major California cities. They found Californians still smoked menthol cigarettes. The study showed 14.1% of the packs (2,144 total) were menthol, just 3 percentage points lower than before.

The study also found 27.6% of packs came from outside the U.S., which suggests many people turned to illegal sources. Some smokers looked for other options like online stores (such as cheapcartoncigarettes.com with free shipping), though buying from these sites might not be legal.

Tobacco Industry’s Response to the Ban

Tobacco companies were quick to adapt to California’s menthol ban through creative product changes that kept menthol smokers interested. These new products in Los Angeles stores make it hard to tell the difference between banned menthol cigarettes and their legal alternatives. Does Los Angeles sell menthol cigarettes?

Introduction of ‘non-menthol’ alternatives

R.J. Reynolds and other major manufacturers showed their product changes right after the ban started. America’s top-selling menthol brand Newport launched “Newport Non-Menthol” cigarettes across Los Angeles. This alternative gives smokers the cooling sensation they want without actual menthol. Brands like Camel and Kool also released their “non-menthol” versions that cool just like the original ones.

Smokers who still want traditional menthol cigarettes now buy from online stores (cheapcartoncigarettes.com ships free) or travel to states where menthol sales remain legal.

Use of synthetic cooling agents like WS-3

The tobacco industry’s main solution uses synthetic cooling agents, especially WS-3 (N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide). This compound creates menthol’s cooling effect without being classified as a “characterizing flavor” under current rules.

WS-3 fools the body’s sensory receptors and triggers cold-sensing proteins to create that familiar menthol feeling naturally. The tobacco industry has researched these cooling alternatives for decades to prepare for possible flavor restrictions. Does Los Angeles sell menthol cigarettes?

Visual and branding similarities to menthol products

These “non-menthol” products look remarkably like their banned versions. Newport Non-Menthol packages keep their well-known green colors and logo designs that menthol users recognize instantly. Packaging changes are minimal, with just added “non-menthol” text or slight color adjustments.

Smart branding helps smokers find their favorite products while companies stay within legal bounds. Los Angeles stores stock these products exactly where menthol cigarettes used to be, making the switch easy for customers despite the ban.

Chemical Workarounds and Loopholes

Cigarette manufacturers have found clever ways to work around menthol bans through advanced chemical engineering. You can still get products that feel like menthol cigarettes across Los Angeles, even though traditional menthol cigarettes are banned.

Synthetic coolants vs. natural menthol

Tobacco companies now use synthetic cooling agents instead of natural peppermint-derived menthol. Their main choice is WS-3 (N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide), which Wilkinson Sword originally created for shaving products back in the 1970s. WS-3 works differently from natural menthol:

• It cools without any minty smell
• It triggers the same cooling receptors (TRPM8) in your mouth and airways
• The cooling effect can be stronger than natural menthol

Scientists tested nine “non-menthol” cigarettes sold in California and found WS-3 in four of them. Some brands actually cool more intensely than their original menthol versions.

Capsule technology in filters

The filters now come with embedded capsules that release flavors when crushed. These flavors mix more than 128 different compounds. More smokers have started using these capsule cigarettes – the numbers went up from 38% to 41% between 2008 and 2019.

These capsules are a win-win for companies and smokers. Users enjoy the satisfying “pop” when they crush them and can customize their smoke. People who like menthol and those who don’t can share the same pack. Young consumers find these high-tech features especially attractive.

How additives bypass ‘characterizing flavor‘ rules

Manufacturers exploit a key loophole in the concept of “characterizing flavor.” Laws ban cigarettes with distinct, recognizable flavors like menthol but don’t stop specific ingredients unless they create such a flavor profile.

So, tobacco companies argue their WS-3 products aren’t “flavored” because they only create cooling without mint taste or smell. R.J. Reynolds made this case in Massachusetts, stating their coolant cigarettes “scientifically cannot be a flavored product because they don’t activate taste or olfactory receptors, just thermoreceptors”.

You can get authentic menthol cigarettes with free shipping from cheapcartoncigarettes.com, though this might not be legal under California law.

Public Health and Policy Implications

Menthol cigarettes create health risks that go way beyond the smokers themselves. These risks extend to healthcare fairness and how well policies work. The rules around these products in Los Angeles show several important challenges.

Uneven effect on Black communities

Black Americans suffer the most from menthol cigarettes. About 85% of Black smokers use menthol products while only 30% of white smokers do. This gap exists because tobacco companies targeted Black neighborhoods with aggressive marketing for decades. Tobacco-related diseases kill more Black people than any other cause. These smoking-related illnesses take about 45,000 Black lives every year.

A complete menthol ban by the FDA could save between 92,000 and 238,000 Black lives over 40 years. This shows how much these products hurt certain communities and how a ban could help them.

Challenges in enforcement and regulation

California’s ban faces enforcement problems. Studies show that state and local police don’t enforce federal tobacco rules on their own. This creates gaps in following the rules. The FDA makes it clear that they only go after manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers, and retailers—not individual users.

Some community supporters worry that more rules could lead to extra police presence in neighborhoods that already see too much policing. Los Angeles residents looking for alternatives sometimes buy from online stores (cheapcartoncigarettes.com offers free shipping), though these purchases might break state laws.

What the FDA’s proposed federal ban could mean

The FDA’s planned nationwide menthol ban could change tobacco control forever. Research models predict smoking would drop by 15.1% within 40 years if menthol cigarettes disappeared from the United States. This change could prevent between 324,000 and 654,000 deaths from smoking.

Los Angeles residents already live under California’s restrictions. A federal ban would mostly stop menthol products coming in from nearby states. This would strengthen local rules by reducing cross-border sales.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Los Angeles technically banned menthol cigarettes in 2025, yet manufacturers showed remarkable adaptability by tweaking their products. California’s flavor ban now faces tough questions as synthetic cooling agents and capsule technology let smokers enjoy menthol-like experiences without breaking any rules.

These regulatory hurdles point to a serious public health issue. Black communities, long targeted by menthol cigarette marketing, still face worse health outcomes despite what the ban tried to achieve. Law enforcement in Los Angeles doesn’t deal very well with the problem, and many real menthol cigarettes still make their way through illegal channels.

The tobacco industry’s quick switch to “non-menthol” alternatives shows their steadfast dedication to keeping their market share whatever the rules say. Future policies might need to zero in on specific ingredients instead of broad “characterizing flavors” to make a real difference in public health.

Smokers still have ways to get what they want as rules keep changing. Some people drive to nearby states where regular menthol products stay legal. Others buy from online stores like cheapcartoncigarettes.com that offer free shipping, though this might not follow California’s laws.

Los Angeles now stands at a turning point. The FDA’s planned federal ban could bring rules in line across the country and might close today’s loopholes. Notwithstanding that, until detailed regulations tackle both ingredients and characterizing flavors at once, regulators and manufacturers will keep playing their game of cat and mouse, with public health stuck in the middle.

FAQs

Q1. Are menthol cigarettes still available in Los Angeles in 2025? Technically, menthol cigarettes are banned in Los Angeles and all of California. However, tobacco companies have introduced “non-menthol” alternatives that mimic the cooling sensation of menthol using synthetic cooling agents like WS-3.

Q2. How has the menthol ban affected cigarette sales in California? Following the ban, total tax-paid cigarette sales in California dropped approximately 15% from December 2022 to September 2023 compared to the previous year. However, studies show that menthol cigarettes are still being consumed, with only a slight decrease in market share.

Q3. What are the health implications of the menthol cigarette ban? The ban aims to reduce smoking-related deaths, particularly among Black Americans who have been disproportionately affected by menthol cigarettes. The FDA projects that a comprehensive menthol ban could save between 92,000 and 238,000 Black lives over four decades.

Q4. How are tobacco companies circumventing the menthol ban? Tobacco companies are using synthetic cooling agents like WS-3, which provide a cooling sensation similar to menthol without qualifying as a “characterizing flavor” under current regulations. They’re also using capsule technology in filters to release flavors during smoking.

Q5. What challenges does Los Angeles face in enforcing the menthol ban? Enforcement remains problematic, with studies showing that state and local law enforcement agencies do not independently enforce federal tobacco regulations. There’s also concern about increased police interactions in already over-policed neighborhoods due to stricter enforcement.