A new study just released in Addiction claims that 6.1 million smokers in Europe have kicked the habit because of vaping. Additionally, the study found that vaping is largely confined to people who are former or current smokers, and that e-cigarette use by non-smokers is rare.
The researchers surveyed 27,460 across all 28 EU countries. Among respondents who claimed that they are currently using e-cigarettes, 35% were former smokers who were able to completely quit due to vaping. Interestingly, the results show a correlation between frequency of vaping and smoking cessation: 30.6% of daily vapers were able to quit smoking, compared with 8.9% who vaped once per week or less. The researchers were able to extrapolate these numbers to determine that an estimated 6.1 million former smokers throughout Europe have quit smoking due to e-cigarettes.
While it’s definitely reassuring to know that us pro-vapers are on the right side of this debate, it’s unlikely to influence any of our elected officials who seem hell-bent on destroying the vaping industry. When you realize we’re trying to fight back against both Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, little things like facts are (unfortunately) unlikely to help our cause. The only thing you can do is write your congressman, donate to SFATA or CASAA, and vote against any politician who has expressed interest in taking away your right to vape.
Just because we’re right doesn’t mean that we’re going to win.
