How An EU Ecig Ban Could Send One Million People Back To Smoking (Infographic)
by James Dunworth IndustryLast month over 1600 of you took a survey, saying how you would react to an ECIG ban.
The results are now out. Click on the infographic below to view the results in full size!
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</p><br /> <p><a href='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2014/02/eu-ecig-ban-return-smoking.html'><img src='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/430.7consequencesofavapingban.jpg' alt='7 Consequences of an EU Ecig ban' width='430' border='0' /></a><br /> <p><strong>Please include attribution to https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog with this infographic.</strong></p><br /> <p>To view different embed widths available, please click here.
Why this survey
The EU government and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) have been pushing for the medicalisation of electronic cigarettes.
The MHRA has said this would mean a ban on every electronic cigarette device available today.
Even if companies can invent a device which can meet the requirements, refillable devices are likely to be banned.
To our knowledge, no impact assessment as been carried out which will assess the effect on vapers. At the very least, we hope this survey will encourage authorities to look at the impact of an effective ban on ecigarettes.
Who took the survey
A total of 1651 people took the survey (if you were one of them - thank you!) 18 were disqualified because they did not use electronic cigarettes. Respondents were recruited via social media, our blog and our newsletters.
What Vapers Said
"If you could no longer buy electronic cigarettes, would you return to traditional tobacco cigarettes?"
61.4% of people replied yes, 12.9% said no and 25.6% weren't sure.If everyone who said yes returned to cigarettes, 921,000 ex-smokers would return to cigarettes (based on Professor West's of SmokingInEngland's estimate of 1,500,000 vapers in the UK today).
However, if some of the people who answered "not sure" returned to cigarettes, that could mean that an EU Ban would lead to million vapers returning to smoking tobacco.
An EU Ban on vaping could lead to more than one million people returning to cigarettes.
"If you couldn't buy refillable 'Tank' style electronic cigarettes , but you could still buy the traditional looking 'cigalike' style electronic cigarettes, would you return to tobacco cigarettes?"
Vape tanks have worked for many people who didn't find cigalikes a satisfying alternative to smoking.
46.5% of vapers said they would return to tobacco cigarettes if refillable ecigs are banned.
That's equivalent to almost 700,000 people.
46.5% of vapers would return to cigarettes if refillable ecigs are banned.
"If eliquid was unavailable from regulated sellers, would you be prepared to buy eliquid on the black market?"
66% of vapers (equivalent to 990,000 of all vapers) said they would be prepared to buy eliquid on the black market.
A further 14.3% were unsure.
In addition to a loss of tax revenue and a new avenue for organised crime to raise money, you could also potentially see dangerous, untested eliquid being sold.
66% of vapers said they would be prepared to buy eliquid on the black market.
"Would you change your vote to protect your right to use electronic cigarettes?"
87.1% of vapers (equivalent to 1,306,500 people) said they were prepared to vote for a different political party if it meant they could change their right to vote.This is very similar to a previous survey we ran on voting when 87.5% of vapers said they would change their vote.
87% of vapers are prepared to change their vote to defend their right to vape.
"If the EU pushed ahead with a ban or restrictions on ecigarettes, would you be more likely to vote against membership of the EU?"
Given the strength of feelings that UKIP arises, we were suprised to see that 69.4% of vapers (equivalent 1,282,500 people) would be prepared to vote for an independence party like UKIP. UKIP has expressed support for ecigarettes (you can see a video of Nigel Farage talking about ecigs while vaping here) although some vapers have expressed concern that this is not being backed up by votes.
69.4% of vapers would be prepared to vote for UKIP to prevent a ban on ecigs.
"Why do you think the EU commission wants to ban ecigs?"
In this part of the survey vapers could select as many answers as they wished.
50.9% of vapers believed that corruption was behind attempts to ban e-cigarettes, while 88.1% felt that a desire to protect tobacco revenues was behind restrictions on e-cigs.
Meanwhile 64% felt ignorance was a factor, and just 3.1% felt that there was a desire to protect public health.
88.1% of vapers feel that a desire to protect tobacco revenues is behind restrictions on e-cigs.
I'd love to know what YOU think, so please let me know in the comments. And if you found this blog post of value, please take a few seconds to share it using one of the buttons below.
Thank you!
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<p><strong>Please include attribution to https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog with this infographic.</strong></p><br /> <p><a href='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2014/02/eu-ecig-ban-return-smoking.html'><img src='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/960.7consequencesofavapingban.jpg' alt='7 Consequences of an EU Ecig ban' width='960' border='0' /></a></p><br /> <p>
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<p><strong>Please include attribution to https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog with this infographic.</strong></p><br /> <p><a href='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2014/02/eu-ecig-ban-return-smoking.html'><img src='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/800.7consequencesofavapingban.jpg' alt='7 Consequences of an EU Ecig ban' width='800' border='0' /></a></p><br /> <p>
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</p><br /> <p><a href='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2014/02/eu-ecig-ban-return-smoking.html'><img src='https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/430.7consequencesofavapingban.jpg' alt='7 Consequences of an EU Ecig ban' width='430' border='0' /></a><br /> <p><strong>Please include attribution to https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog with this infographic.</strong></p><br /> <p>
