A fag.
A puff.
A rolly.
A smoke.
Ultimately, just a cigarette.
Across the globe, smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use enjoyed by over a billion people.
Evidently, there are a variety of reasons why people smoke, ranging from peer pressure to weight control, yet, despite the rise in prices, the bans in public places and the negative health issues associated with smoking, people still continue to light-up.
Although people are continuing to smoke, recent studies reveal a significant drop in the number of people smoking tobacco. Research taken from the Office of National Statistics, ONS, and Action on Smoking and Health, ASH, highlight that smoking levels as the lowest since 1940s, in addition to smoking rates being more than halved since 1974 when 51% of men and 41% of women smoked.
Evidence produced by the UK Government body, Public Health England, states that e-cigarettes are in fact 95% less harmful that tobacco cigarettes. Which begs the question, are people switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes? Since e-cigarettes came into the marker around five years ago, using e-cigarettes – or ‘vaping’ – has become increasingly popular, in addition to being marketed as a healthier – and cheaper – alternative to traditional cigarettes.
This info-graph created by Vap Lab, a Canadian vaping company, shows the latest trends in both the tobacco and e-cigarette industries, focusing on the history of tobacco, the recent changes in legislation and what influenced they’ve had on the sector as a whole.