According to a new Gallup poll, cigarette consumption in the United States has fallen to an all-time low of 11 percent. Smoking is even less common among young Americans: 6 percent of those under 30 say they smoke.
“The U.S. is on the verge of having a smoke-free Generation Z, but instead of celebrating, vaping is under attack,” said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, in a statement. “This makes no sense. The latest smoking rates clearly show that the myth that vaping is a gateway to smoking needs to be laid to rest. Vaping is not a gateway to smoking, it is a gateway away from smoking. Harm reduction works, even when politicians make it harder for smokers to switch. It’s time to wake up!”
The low smoking rates could be the result of decades of scientific data and warnings that using the products is dangerous, according to a New York Post Article. About 80 percent of American adults surveyed said cigarettes were “very harmful,” compared to 57 percent of respondents who said e-cigarettes were “very harmful.”
Most respondents also said that chewing tobacco was “very harmful.” However, few said the same about cigars, pipes, or nicotine pouches. Seven out of ten Americans, however, believe that these products are “quite harmful.”
Smokers are also less likely than non-smokers to say that cigarettes are harmful. Eighty percent of non-smokers say cigarettes are harmful, while 58 percent of cigarette smokers say the products are harmful. In comparison, 63 percent of vapers say e-cigarettes are harmful, while 79 percent of non-vapers say e-cigarettes are harmful.
