|
A single e-cigarette and cartridge lasting about as long as one pack of traditional cigarettes is expected to cost about $10 and will include a USB charger. Reynolds also will sell a set for about $30 that will include one electronic cigarette, three cartridges and a USB charger. Additional cartridges in both original and menthol flavors also will be sold as a two-pack for about $6. The market for e-cigarettes has grown from the thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide. Analysts estimate sales could double this year to $1 billion. Some go as far as saying consumption of e-cigs could surpass consumption of traditional cigarettes in the next decade. Tobacco company executives even noted that e-cigarettes drove total industry cigarette volumes down about 600 million cigarettes, or about 1 percent, during the first quarter, excluding Internet sales
-- a major avenue for e-cig purchases. Altria Group Inc., owner of the nation's biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, announced in April a subsidiary plans to introduce an electronic cigarette during the second half of the year. The company is expected to provide details on its product at an investor meeting on Tuesday. Lorillard Inc., the nation's third-biggest tobacco company, acquired e-cigarette maker Blu Ecigs in April 2012. In recent comments to an industry group, Mitch Zeller, the new head of the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco control efforts, noted that changes in the marketplace have forced the public health community to wrestle with the idea that some tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, may pose less of a health risk than others. The FDA plans to assert regulatory authority over e-cigarettes in the near future. Public health officials say the safety of e-cigarettes and their effectiveness in helping people quit regular smokes haven't been fully studied.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor