New CDC Data Shows Smoking Continues to Fall as Vaping Increases September 02 2015

September 1, 2015 | Gregory Conley | American Vaping Association
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Is the slow death of the combustible cigarette accelerating?
WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The American Vaping Association, a leading advocate for the benefits of vapor products such as electronic cigarettes, is calling attention to new survey data on adult smoking from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).  The report finds that smoking by adults declined to a historic low of 15.2% in the first quarter of 2015 (down from 16.8% in 2014 and 19.4% in 2010).

 

“This is great news that is worthy of celebration. Public health benefits every time a smoker quits,” said Gregory Conley, President of the American Vaping Association. “If this decline continues, we stand a chance of actually attaining a 12% smoking rate by 2020,” added Conley, referring to the CDC’s Healthy People 2020 goal for smoking by adults in the year 2020.
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“It is undeniable that vaping has played a significant role in promoting cessation among adult smokers,” said Conley. “It is time for activists to stop making nonsense claims that vaping is somehow leading to more smoking by adults or teens.”
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A prior analysis of the 2014 NHIS data by University of Louisville Professor Dr. Brad Rodu found that nearly 2 million former smokers reported vaping during the prior month, with 1.25 million of them being daily users. While it is not possible to prove how many of these ex-smokers used vaping to quit smoking, it’s notable that 85% of the 2 million former smokers using e-cigarettes reported quitting in the prior five years (i.e., during the time period e-cigarettes have been available).

 

GRAPH:

As illustrated below, year-to-year declines in adult smoking are not always a sure thing.

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After experiencing strong declines from 1997 to 2004 (24.7% to 20.9%), adult smoking rates entered a period of stagnation from 2005 to 2009. In 2010, the first sign of a new period of decline emerged, as smoking dropped to 19.4% (from 20.6% in 2009).  Since then, smoking has fallen to 16.8% in 2014 and 15.2% in the first quarter of 2015. For year-to-year smoking data, see page 56 of the new report.

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About the American Vaping Association:
The American Vaping Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates for all small- and medium-sized businesses in the rapidly growing vaping and electronic cigarette industry. We are dedicated to educating the public and government officials about public health benefits offered by vapor products, which are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine or nicotine-free solution and create an inhalable vapor.