According to the latest research from the Global Status of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), the number of e-cigarette users worldwide has increased significantly, and the number of e-cigarette users will reach 82 million in 2021, an increase of 20% compared to 2020.
KAC, the project’s research arm, says e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to cigarettes. “Cigarette use kills 8 million people worldwide each year,” the agency wrote in a news note. “The increase in the number of e-cigarette users is therefore a very positive step towards reducing the harm of combustible cigarettes and accelerating smoking cessation, most of which People will stop smoking.” In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there will be about 984 million smokers worldwide, accounting for about one-fifth of the adult population.
The new research comes shortly after the UK government announced its Quit Swap scheme, which aims to provide free vaping starter kits to one million smokers to help them quit. According to the KAC, the UK’s lax vaping laws have helped bring smoking rates down to record lows.
The KAC writes: “However, support for tobacco harm reduction by e-cigarettes in the UK stands in stark contrast to the situation in many countries. GSTHR figures show that 36 countries have banned e-cigarettes and that there is a regulatory or legislative vacuum in a further 84 countries. Hundreds of Smokers who want to switch to safer vaping, or because of a ban, or because of poor and non-existent product regulation, may be forced to buy unsafe products on the black market.”
Despite restrictive regulations or bans in many countries, more and more people are choosing to switch to safer combustible tobacco alternatives – e-cigarettes. “The UK, along with other countries such as New Zealand, provides strong evidence that positive government messages on tobacco harm reduction can accelerate declines in smoking rates,” the KAC wrote.
