Considering that electronic cigarettes exists less than 10 years, their spread is phenomenal. Electronic cigarette smokers can be seen more and more often in public places.
In 2010, only 750,000 of electronic cigarettes were sold worldwide, in 2011 sales quickly increased to 2.5 million, in mid-2013 they reached 10 million electronic cigarettes sold worldwide. In the end of 2013 year e-cigarette worldwide sales reached amount of 25 million units.
E-cigarettes in EU countries.
In a recent study (Eurobarometer 2012), 1% of respondents said that they use electronic cigarettes on a regular basis, as a substitution, or as addition to traditional cigarettes.
The population of the European Union in 2012 was 506 million people, can be argued that electronic smokers in EU are about 5 million people.
Despite the special rules introduced in EU and even ban of electronic cigarettes in some countries (such as Greece and Poland), the number of e-smokers is constantly growing. This happens due the ongoing national anti-tobacco companies and high prices on cigarettes.
Opponents of e-smoking, in EU countries where was introduced the ban on e-cigarettes (Lithuania and Greece) argue with the facts, that till today, doesn’t exist any special studies conducted by the World Health Organization about the components contained in e-cigarettes and e-liquids and their possible side effects on the human body.
Electronic smokers in these countries are forced to buy electronic cigarettes and liquids in nearby countries or online. In addition, many EU countries have introduced special rules, which equated electronic cigarettes to other nicotine substitutes such as: nicotine patches and chewing gum with nicotine. Because of these actions, e-cigarette retail sales were limited to pharmacies and medical institutions. E-devices and e-liquids were forbidden to sell in shops, tobacco shops, as well as in special shops.
This situation infringes the rights of electronic vapers, because the regular cigarette smokers, as before, can buy cigarettes in a special cigarette stores.
European Parliament try to develop uniform rules for electronic cigarette use and selling for the entire European Union. Today, there are different positive and negative views among parliamentarians about e-cigarette, some agreed that electronic cigarettes should be allocated as a special product, that will not be deemed to medical or tobacco products, others want to equate e-cigarettes to tobacco products.
However, in EU countries that didn’t have special rules for e-cigarette sale and use, were formed a stable market with numerous users. On national TV in some countries were held e-cigarette promotions.
Electronic cigarette vapers in many countries are united in associations and assert their rights both at the legislative level as in dialogues with vendors and manufacturers.