E-cigarette retailers in the country are reporting very strong sales numbers, with some saying that the sales momentum in 2011 is set to break 2010’s record. As an increasing number of Britons are purchasing electronic cigarettes in a bid to curb or completely give up smoking and move to a safer alternative product, retailers are enjoying a bumper year. Probably no other country has so enthusiastically embraced e-cigarettes as the UK. There are no stringent laws or taxes on e-cigarettes. They can be vaped in public places like restaurants, clubs, and even in offices. They have emerged as a viable alternative to smoking, even for regular and heavy tobacco smokers.
The huge sales upswing can also be partly attributed to government intervention. Most recently, the UK government endorsed electronic cigarettes and encouraged smokers to replace their tobacco cigarettes with these revolutionary products. When you have the government telling you to get your nicotine fix or enjoy your cigarette-smoking experience by using e-cigarettes, you would certainly take this suggestion seriously. Consumers have also been drawn to electronic cigarettes because they do not cause the potentially fatal diseases accompanying heavy and regular tobacco smoking.
While the UK currently rules the roost as far as electronic cigarette sales and take-up are concerned, the acceptance and use of e-cigs in the United States has also increased in the last two years. In fact, e-cig sales numbers in the US are strong, with word of mouth endorsements and dynamic internet marketing drawing consumers to these products. It also helps that some Hollywood celebs have been seen vaping in public, with a few even recommending e-cigs to smokers on public platforms. In countries where the sale of e-cigarettes is banned, people are using alternative ways to access and use them. Given the fact that electronic cigarettes are exponentially safer than their tobacco counterparts, governments should allow their sale and usage.
