SoylentNews

GungnirSniper [soylentnews.org] writes:

From the do-you-vape-m'lady department

In a new study published in the British Medical Journal's Tobacco Control found that combustible cigarettes cost less [bmj.com] than disposable e-cigarettes in almost every country sampled. The high cost of refillable vaping systems has also been found to be a significant cost barrier to switching even if the long-term costs are less.

Existing prices of e-cigarettes are generally much higher than of combustible cigarettes. If policymakers wish to tax e-cigarettes less than combustibles, forceful policy action—almost certainly through excise taxation—must raise the price of combustible cigarettes beyond the price of using e-cigarettes.

The Times of India notes the study found that Britain has "achieved price equality between cigarettes and e-cigarettes". [indiatimes.com] Worldwide prices vary significantly for combustible cigarettes. In Pakistan a pack costs as little as a US dollar [ibtimes.com], two dollars in Russia, and upwards of 16 dollars in Australia.

The relative safety of e-cigarettes to traditional tobacco ones [reason.com] remains an area of contention. Estimates range from 5 percent to 20 percent of the risk to vapers [sandiegouniontribune.com] compared to tobacco smokers.

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