Vaping Has Cooled Off, But Smokers Haven’t Gone Back to Cigarettes
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As the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to restrict the e-cigarette industry takes shape, driven by a spate of vaping-related illnesses, cigarette sales aren’t yet reflecting smokers’ concerns that vapes might not be the safer alternative to traditional smoking that marketing campaigns were built around.
Sales trends for the past month, including the period since the FDA’s Sept. 11 announcement that it would pursue a ban on flavored vapes, suggest that the combustible cigarette market has yet to see a boost in demand following the Centers for Disease Control’s public health warnings about vaping. Sales of e-cigarettes have slowed, meanwhile, as regulators weigh their options to regulate the nascent phenomenon.