The report states that the increase in cigarette sales is the end of the pandemic

Although the US cigarette sales increased slightly for the first time in 20 years pandemic, total purchases of the cigarette industry decreased by 6.5% in the last quarter compared to the same period last year. report.

The report cites Marlbor manufacturer Altria Group Inc., which produces nearly half of the cigarettes purchased in USA, said the decline was steeper than in the first and second quarters of this summer.

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Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Cigarette report reported a 0.4% increase in cigarette sales from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion cigarettes sold in 2020, but industry experts describe this pandemic increase as a phenomenon unique to the United States. countries, not for other countries. the world.

“Given the worrying trends highlighted in this report, including the first increase in cigarette sales in two decades, the Commission will continue to broaden its approach to reporting shifts in the tobacco industry,” the FTC said in a press release. he said.

When the pandemic pushed Americans into their homes, they bought more cigarettes because they spent less on gas, entertainment and travel, the report reports. to warn.

During the pandemic, smokers who smoked may have switched to regular cigarettes due to the ban on flavored products, higher taxes on e-cigarettes and also due to remaining health concerns due to an e-cigarette outbreak or lung damage due to vaping use in 2019, known as EVALI, according to recently report.

Erica Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, said The Washington Post that the increase in sales in 2020 was probably due to a pandemic that caused people who had previously stopped smoking to start again, often due to stress.

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The American Psychological Association warned in its annual survey on 2020 in the midst of a pandemic: “We are facing a national mental health crisis that could have serious health and social consequences for many years to come. come on. “

The latest quarterly results of total cigarette sales, however, show that the economic turnaround coupled with cautious optimism about the pandemic is encouraging more Americans to spend more time and money outdoors and less on cigarettes, according to a recent report.

Smokeless tobacco sales rose from £ 126.0 million in 2019 to £ 126.9 million in 2020, and sales revenue in 2019 rose from $ 4.53 billion to $ 4.82 billion after the recent smokeless tobacco in 2020. Report.

For the first time, the FTC also drew attention to data on the tastes of tobacco products, with smokeless tobacco products with menthol flavor representing more than half of all sales revenue in 2020.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently examining whether vaping products should remain on the U.S. market, given the recent report.

“Scientific evidence also shows that menthol smokers are less likely to quit smoking than menthol-free smokers, even though they have a greater desire to quit tobacco addiction,” the American Lung Association notes. Web page.

After inhaling menthol, smokers feel that they breathe easier because it reduces airway irritation due to cigarette smoke, but they offer no health benefits compared to nementol, despite marketing messages saying otherwise. American Lung Association.

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The Biden administration is working with the FDA to formulate policies to ban menthol cigarettes that could reduce more than a third of all cigarettes sold in the U.S., according to recent data. report.

“Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness, disability, and death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year, or about 1 in 5 deaths,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.