Posted on 01/29/2021 5:06:30 AM PST by karpov
The decadeslong decline in U.S. cigarette sales halted last year as people in lockdown lit up more frequently and health concerns around e-cigarettes caused some vapers to switch back to cigarettes.
Before the pandemic, U.S. cigarette unit sales had been falling at an accelerating rate, hitting 5.5% in 2019, as smokers quit or switched to alternatives like e-cigarettes. The pandemic put the brakes on that slide. In 2020, the U.S. cigarette industry’s unit sales were flat compared to the previous year, according to data released Thursday by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.
People had more opportunities to smoke because they spent more time at home and had more money to spend on cigarettes because they spent less on gas, travel and entertainment, Altria said. They drank more liquor, too, buoying spirits makers.
At the same time, some e-cigarette users turned back to combustible cigarettes because of increased e-cigarette taxes, bans on flavored vaping products and confusion about the health effects of vaping, consumers and industry officials say. Altria on Thursday didn’t offer a projection for cigarette sales in 2021, saying it would depend in part on the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine and how consumers’ behavior changes after they are vaccinated.
U.S. cigarette sales were even stronger last year than they were in 2015, when gas prices dropped sharply, allowing consumers more discretionary spending, and many people switched back to cigarettes after trying first-generation vaping devices. Those early products didn’t deliver nicotine effectively enough to satisfy some addicted cigarette smokers. But e-cigarette sales took off again in 2017, spurred by the popularity of a new vaporizer called Juul.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
I’d say the rise of vaping plays in too.
Still smoking my cigars with my morning coffee, especially when typing on FR.....
Long ashes in the keyboard.....
Where I'm at a carton of cigarettes cost around $70.00 - 80.00 ($7.00 or $8.00 x pack). Buying a one pound bag of tobacco and two cartons' worth of tubes costs me $33.00 and that makes the equivalent of two cartons, so it works out to about $16.50 per carton.
I would never encourage anybody to start smoking, but if you are a smoker, roll your own. You will save a LOT of money, and with a pretty rudimentary rolling machine, I can roll a pack of 20 in the time it would take me to run to the corner store and buy a pack.
Cigars are one of the great pleasures in life. I know. I’m killing myself. But I don’t inhale. Unlike Clinton.
I used to roll my own cigarettes before I started vaping.
Now, I build my own atomizers and mix my vaping fluids.
Saves a ton of money, and I get better flavors.
Your body is made to process external toxins.....
Cigars kill you, doubtful......
Just enjoy without guilt.....
Please consider that reducing the cost of cigarettes may cause you to smoke more, which is bad for your health.
I’ve had time to smoke a lot more cigars. I am happy for that.
That thought occurred to me when I started rolling my own, but actually, I found the number of cigarettes I've been smoking has declined by 3-4 x day.
Same here.
When I rolled my own cigarettes, the quality of them was a lot better than store bought. I smoked less, even though they were cheaper.
I like to smoke a cigar at the end of the day while walking my dog or sitting on the back deck with him. Here in Houston, it is too hot to sit outside most of the year, so I only get to enjoy them in late fall/winter. It will be about 65° when I get home this Friday evening, so perfect weather.
Funny that this article comes up right now...
My oldest son bought me a pipe. I was recounting to him that one of my great uncles used to smoke a pipe and how much (as a child) I kind of enjoyed the aroma of a good pipe.
The pipe comes to me today. Being that I know next to nothing about it, I did some online research. I know how to get it broken in, I know how to load tobacco, and that’s about it.
And...I don’t know if you’re supposed to just hold the smoke in your mouth (like with a cigar), or actually inhale. That’s one question I couldn’t find the answer to.
Of course there's the other issue; when you can't trust the government for any health information since they've proved themselves liars with the Wuhanic Plague, why would anyone trust them about any dangers of smoking?
The government showed itself to EVERYONE to be completely corrupt when the Uniparty rigged an election in broad daylight with impunity. Expect to see people discarding government "advice" more and more.
It's not "road rage", it's rage at bad drivers that the government insists on putting on the roads.
It's not "gun violence", it's criminal violence from repeat offenders that the government releases regularly back into the public.
It's not "global warming", it's a scam perpetuated by government to control economies.
and so on...
My youngest son started smoking when he was 19. He’s tried to quit many, many times. The lockdowns helped him get rid of his triggers. He wasn’t around others who smoked, so that was the first step to quitting successfully. Whatever his other triggers were, they weren’t there anymore. So he’s finally given it up after 10 years. Makes this mama happy.
In the Atlanta area, it’s a little chillier now.......
But when spring comes, early evening on the deck with a good cigar, glass of wine, and the German Shepherd is a must!
When I lost my sense of smell due to an accident at the end of 2019, I also lost the ability to enjoy a good cigar.
I don’t smoke cigars often, but I do like to have a bowl of pipe tobacco several times a week. And I don’t inhale it, either. I suppose the smoke is still bad for me, but I am 70, and have had family members who were moderate pipe and cigar smokers who lived into their mid 90’s I do think cigarettes are pretty detrimental to health..
Rush quit smoking cigarettes nearly forty years ago, but smoked cigars continuously after that. Just sayin'.
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