Electronic Cigarette Sales Soar in Eastern Europe

Hungary was one of the countries recently imposing a smoking ban, with bans being implemented across all public transport, hospitals, airports, public and federal buildings in 2010. A further nationwide smoke-free law covering all public spaces including workplaces, clubs, pubs, restaurants, underpasses and public bus stops were placed in effect from January 2012. According to the World Health Organisation, the government expects the ban to cut the number of people treated in hospitals or dying from heart attacks and coronary illnesses by 10-15% within a year.

 Furthermore, according to the Prague Post the Czech Republic being one of the minorities of European Union countries not to have such restrictions have also considered implementing a smoking ban with 115,000 people signing a petition demanding a ban on smoking in restaurants, disapproving the country’s high cancer rate and poor rating concerning tobacco control.

The government have initiated a new proposal with a gradual phasing-in of changes, with the first step being a law preventing children under the age of 18 from entering places where smoking is allowed, with a full ban taking effect in 2014. With these laws coming into place, it has forced many people to look for other alternatives to smoking tobacco cigarettes, the electronic cigarette becoming the number one choice. Regardless of the cheap prices of tobacco cigarettes in the Czech Republic, averaging at 2 euros a pack, UK based brand SKYCIG have reported to have quadrupled their sales in the first quarter of 2012. Not only are the benefits regarding health pushing product sales for electronic cigarettes, with the product not containing all the harmful chemicals regular tobacco cigarettes have, but also the accessibility of smoking an e-cigarette as they can virtually be used anywhere.

As The Guardian stated last week, the tobacco industry is not only losing out on sales through new law legislations, issues regarding branding may also affect the industry with Australia becoming the first to initiate unbranded cigarette packs. Australia have introduced health warnings, graphic photos and no brand logos, only company names in small, standard font will be permitted on packages, an issue which is being closely watched around the world, including Britain, where the government began talks over unbranded packaging this week. More and more people are turning to electronic cigarettes with the growing opinion of e-cigarettes having the potential to save thousands of lives; however, it does not come without its share of controversy.