Special cigarettes

With information on popularity, composition, market trends, and more

Oxford University Press USA

Today, Nicotine & Tobacco Research publishes a special issue on e-cigarettes which includes twelve original investigations, one brief report, and three letters. Topics covered include e-cigarette market trends in U.S. retail, use of e-cigarettes among young people, chemical composition of e-cigarettes, and more.

As Jennifer B. Unger, Ph.D., writes in the editorial that accompanies this special issue: "In this current era of scientific uncertainty, it is not surprising that the general public is confused, uninformed, or misinformed about e-cigarettes. Most U.S. adults do not know whether e-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals, are regulated for safety, and/or are regulated as cessation aids... E-cigarettes have generated new debates and controversies, as well as a wealth of innovative research. Our next challenge will be to help the general public and legislators understand the science as it develops so they can take appropriate action."

Below you will find some facts from articles in this special issue. The full special issue can be found here:

• Many state and local smoke-free laws predate the development of electronic cigarettes. Currently, only three states include the restriction of electronic cigarettes in their comprehensive smoke-free policies.
• The young people in this study's focus groups perceived that e-cigarettes are marketed for smoking cessation, but they did not perceive that e-cigarettes are effective for cessation, indicating that they may be distrustful of the marketing.
• The interest of nonsmoking teens in flavored e-cigarettes is very low - in fact, flavor descriptors had no significant influence on nonsmoking teens' interest in using e-cigarettes.
• Between 2012 and 2013, e-cigarette sales in the tracked channels of this study more than doubled, increasing by 132.5% across all markets. Convenience store sales drove most of this, accounting for 81.9% of e-cigarette sales in 2013.
• Among current cigarette smokers, reported reasons for e-cigarette use included: quit smoking (58.4%), reduce smoking (57.9%), and reduce health risks (51.9%). Prior quit attempts were reported more frequently among e-cigarette users (82.8%) than nonusers (74.0%).
• This study analyzed and evaluated the chemical composition including nicotine, tobacco alkaloids, pH, and flavors in 36 e-liquids brands from 4 manufacturers. Three-quarters of the products contained lower measured nicotine levels than the stated label values.