The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that between 2017 and 2023, the number of Americans who use vapes grew more than the number who quit smoking, with 6.8 million fewer smokers and 7.2 million more people using vaping alone
Key points:
1. A CDC survey shows that the number of people using electronic cigarettes in the United States exceeds the number of smokers.
2. From 2017 to 2023, the number of adults who smoke cigarettes alone decreased by 6.8 million, while the number of adults who use e-cigarettes alone increased by 7.2 million.
3. Big tobacco companies turn to alternative products like vapes, claiming less harm to retain customers.
According to Bloomberg on March 7, a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently showed that the use of vapes in the United States is growing faster than the rate at which smokers are quitting.
The CDC analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey from 2017 to 2023. The survey collects responses from up to 32,000 U.S. adults each year about their use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Between 2017 and 2023, the number of U.S. adults who smoke alone fell by 6.8 million. In the same time frame, 7.2 million U.S. adults started using e-cigarettes alone.
In addition, several tobacco companies, including Altria Group and PMI, are shifting their strategic focus to alternative products such as vapes, heated tobacco, and nicotine packs. These companies claim that these new tobacco products are less harmful than traditional tobacco and retain customers.
Although smoking rates have been declining for a long time, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the CDC. The smoking rate among U.S. adults dropped from 43 percent in 1965 to nearly 12 percent in 2022.
