Vapers vape to quit smoking

Most U.S. vapers indulge in their habit so as to quit or abstain from smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes, according to a survey commissioned by V2, which describes itself as one of the nation’s leading brands of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products.

The results of the online poll on May 11-12, which included 300 US adult e-cigarette users, were announced yesterday.

When asked to identify why they chose to use electronic cigarettes:

• Sixty-two percent said they did so “to quit or abstain from smoking cigarettes”;
• Thirty-eight percent, who identified as dual users, said they did so “to obtain nicotine when unable to smoke cigarettes”;
• Thirty-six percent said they did so because they “preferred the flavors and taste over [those of] traditional tobacco cigarettes”; and
• Twenty-nine percent said they did so because electronic cigarettes were more “socially acceptable than [was] smoking cigarettes”

“For most adult smokers, vaporizing devices like electronic cigarettes represent a legitimate alternative to combustible cigarettes,” said Adam Kustin, vice president of marketing at V2. “Smokers are increasingly shifting away from combustibles in favor of vaping. This is why the recent FDA [Food and Drug Administration] 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.”

According to the results of another V2 poll of 300 vapers released on June 7, 74 percent of electronic cigarette users believe that electronic cigarettes “should be subject to some sort of regulatory process”.

However, in an April survey, also conducted by V2, with 600 respondents, 57 percent said that they were against any federal regulations by the FDA. Of that 57 percent, 27 percent said regulations should be made by local authorities – state, municipal, etc. – and 13 percent said the industry should self-regulate.

V2 said in a press note that the consequences of overregulation could be devastating for electronic cigarette users.

‘As part of the FDA’s ruling, government approval of all e-cigarette products and related consumables introduced after 2007, such as e-liquid, is now required,’ it said.

‘These products must go through a formal approval process to continue to be sold. Reports estimate that submitting an application for a single product approval could cost more than $1 million for the applicant.

‘In a V2 survey released June 7, vapers were asked how they would respond if onerous regulations drove e-cigarettes off the market. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said they would return to smoking combustible cigarettes. Considering how many report vaping as a way to abstain from tobacco in the latest V2 survey, these numbers aren’t surprising.’