What Makes Ecigs Popular?
Back in 2008, most professionals in the tobacco industry would have said that electronic cigarettes would be out just as soon as they were in. But today, nearly everyone would argue that electronic cigarettes (ecigs) are here to stay for a long time.
The electronic cigarette industry is booming, with the whole industry currently being worth billions of dollars. In just a few years, by 2020, that figure is expected to increase far more. What’s more is that more and more people have been trying electronic cigarettes due to the likelihood that they are not as risky as smoking traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products.
But what makes electronic cigarettes so popular?
· Understanding the Popularity
- All in all, for every five adults who smoke traditional cigarettes, at least one has tried an electronic cigarette. That’s more than double what it was four years ago. This may be surprising, since electronic cigarettes are such a new commodity. Decade’s worth of research and scientific study has shown us the risks that come with tobacco and traditional cigarettes. In comparison, there is very little that we actually know about electronic cigarettes, though it has been suggested based on early research that electronic cigarettes are not near as harmful as traditional cigarettes due to there being no tobacco present in them.
· Smokers vs. Non-Smokers
- However, the number of non-smokers who smoke ecigs is still very small. Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans are aware about electronic cigarettes, non-smokers are far less likely to smoke cigarettes whether they be electronic or tobacco.
- As we have also discussed, it is very likely that electronic cigarettes are not as harmful as traditional cigarettes, and this early information has been circulated around widely. Many traditional smokers are also probably aware about the risks they are taking when they smoke tobacco. As a result, a very realistic explanation for why electronic cigarettes are so popular would be because that traditional smokers want to smoke, but they want to transition to something that is nowhere near as risky as tobacco. This alone would explain why the popularity of electronic cigarettes has exploded within the last few years and why they are expected to give tobacco products a run for their money.
· The Future
- A major question that should be asked is what the future holds for electronic cigarettes. Will electronic cigarettes become more popular in the future as many analysts within the tobacco industry are predicted, or will they fade out?
- The reality is that even if electronic cigarettes become even triple as popular as they are now among smokers, the whole fate of the electronic cigarette industry really rests in the hands of the U.S Food and Drug Administration. If the electronic cigarettes are heavily regulated, prices will go up and allow the already established tobacco companies to gain a monopoly over them.
Despite this, many electronic cigarette companies are preparing for the coming
change, and the increasing social acceptance of them could potentially push the
electronic cigarette industry ahead of any government regulations that could be
put in place. People want the freedom to
smoke whenever they want and wherever they want, so one would have to admit
that it would be difficult for the FDA to regulate e-cigs if social acceptance
continues to grow.