Since the menthol cigarette ban, disposable sales have surged in California

According to U.S. media reports, British American Tobacco CEO Tadeu Marroco recently said that since California banned the sale of menthol cigarettes, the market share of illicit flavored e-cigarettes has surged.
He pointed out that because BAT complied with California’s regulations banning cigarette flavors, the company’s vaping products and cigarettes have lost ground to illicit products that offer a wide range of flavors. In its latest financial report, BAT also disclosed declines in its U.S. cigarette and vaping sales, partly attributing this to the rapid rise of disposable e-cigarettes.
The FDA is taking action against the widespread availability of flavored disposable e-cigarettes and plans to step up enforcement to remove products that have not passed PMTA review from the market. This month, it has already issued warning letters requiring multiple e-cigarette companies, including PUFF Bar, to stop selling flavored disposable e-cigarettes that have not passed PMTA review, as well as “youth-appealing electronic e-liquid products.”
Tadeu Marroco further noted that because legal products cannot provide the same taste experience, many adult traditional smokers and e-cigarette users have begun turning to disposable e-cigarettes with candy-like flavors. After the ban took effect, BAT saw disposable e-cigarette sales surge in California, and almost overnight they became the only products on the market offering a variety of flavors. At present, disposable e-cigarettes account for half of the e-cigarette market in the United States.
Further reading: Official information from the California Tobacco Control Branch shows that on November 8, 2022, California voters upheld state law Senate Bill (SB) 793 (Chapter 34, Statutes of 2020), formally banning tobacco retailers from selling most flavored tobacco products.