New research in the Scientific Journal Value in Health Publication has linked vape bans directly with an increase in cigarette sales. This study adds to growing evidence that suggests that banning vaping products increases the use of traditional tobacco products. This is not new to behavioural studies. Many studies from the past have shown that banning or limiting access to safer alternatives always leads humans to opt for the known dangerous options that are available. It thus calls for all stakeholders to rethink their approach to managing vaping crisis among the youth.
Researchers from Massachusetts analyzed cigarette sales data from the state before and after it passed laws banning nicotine vapes. The study found that after banning nicotine vapes the state reported 7.5% more cigarette sales than the expected per capita level.
The researchers also analyzed the cigarette sales data by Piper Jaffray four weeks after the ban (ending on 20th October 2019) and compared them to data from four weeks before the full ban of the sale of nicotine vapes in the state. They then compared the results of these two studies to cigarette sales figures in the same period the previous year. The figure showed that the ban on nicotine vapes led to an increase in cigarette sales. This is because many ex-smokers who were now using vapes had no option but to take up smoking once again.
Impact of Vapes Bans Nationally
According to Dr Michael Siegel, a prominent vaping researcher, the bans on vaping products in Massachusetts had a minimum impact on national cigarette sales between 2018 and 2019. He however pointed out that the impact was significant in Massachusetts and other states that had banned the sale of nicotine vape products.
At a national level, the decline in the sale of cigarettes from 2018 to 2019 was minimal. The national cigarette data show that the decline had a 0.3% deceleration from a 7.8% decline in 2018 to a 7.5% decline in 2019. In Massachusetts however, the decline deceleration was a humongous 5.7% from 9.8% in 2018 to 4.1 in 2019. This shows the huge difference banning vaping products can have on the sale of cigarettes in a state.
When looking are the real figures Dr Siegel Points out that National cigarette sales in September 2019 were 92.5% of the September 2018 figures and then reduced to 92.2% of what they were in October 2018 the following months. While cigarette sales continued to decline, the decline reduced marginally between September and October 2019 when compared to the period between September and October 2018.
However, the Massachusetts cigarette sales data tells a different story that every lawmaker and every activist that wants vaping products banned should pay close attention to. Cigarette sales in the state in September 2019 dropped by a whopping 9.8% to 90.2% of what they were in September 2018. However, after the state banned the sale of vape products this drop was more than halved in October 2019 with the state reporting sales that were only 95.9% of what they were in the same month in 2018. The ban on the sale of vaping products thus significantly impacted the decline in the number of cigarettes sold in the state.
