More than a third of vapers use e-cigarettes because they prefer the taste and range of flavors over regular tobacco cigarettes, according to a survey by one of the nation’s biggest e-cigarette brands.
Thirty-six percent of vapers said they “preferred the flavors and taste over traditional tobacco cigarettes,” according to the V2 survey sent to The Daily Caller News Foundation. Sixty-two percent of those polled said they vape to “to quit or abstain from smoking cigarettes” while a further 38 percent identified as dual users who use e-cigarettes “to obtain nicotine when unable to smoke cigarettes.”
The results highlight the importance of flavors in helping smokers transition away from regular cigarettes, which are 95 percent more dangerous than e-cigarettes according to the Royal College of Physicians.
Despite massive hostility from some public health activists, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) abstained from cracking down on e-cigarette flavors in its recent deeming regulations. The FDA’s decision to lay off flavors was a big win for public health, according to R Street Institute Senior Fellow Edward Anselm.
“Many vapers rotate flavors through the day to allow them to continue vaping. And most importantly, these vapers report that without flavors, they are likely to return to smoking,” writes Anselm. “This is crucial, because evidence demonstrates that e-cigarettes pose less than 5 percent of the risk of potentially fatal illness presented by combustible tobacco cigarettes. Encouraging smokers to switch to e-cigarettes offers the opportunity to improve public health outcomes tremendously.”
V2 said the results show e-cigarettes are crucial for tobacco harm reduction and shouldn’t be restricted by excessive regulation. “For most adult smokers, vaporizing devices like electronic cigarettes represent a legitimate alternative to combustible cigarettes,” said Adam Kustin, Vice President of Marketing, V2.
“Smokers are increasingly shifting away from combustibles in favor of vaping,” he added. “This is why the recent FDA ruling to regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products is discouraging. Big Tobacco wants to curb e-cigarette growth and maintain the status quo, especially as vaporizer technology continues to outpace their offerings and transform the category. The FDA’s more onerous limitations on manufacturers indirectly support Big Tobacco’s goals. Stifling innovation and restricting consumer choice will very possibly drive users back to smoking cigarettes.”
Send tips to guy@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.