The next 10 years will help to define the vaping industry
If the 2010s helped form the vaping industry, will the 2020s see it take over? Below I’m going to take a look into the reasons why the next decade could be transformative for vaping.
Readily Available Information
At the beginning of the 2010s, and indeed well into the middle, detailed, factual information surrounding e-cigs was scant. Aside from a few vaping websites that were around (including us), most of the information was spread through word of mouth as more people began to make the switch.
As we enter the 2020s, the wealth of information will only grow as the industry matures. There will also undoubtedly be more coming from the likes of well-respected organisations such as The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) which will help bridge the information gap.
In our ever-connected online society, the spread of information in the next decade will be even quicker than before, and I fully expect that at the end of it, people will be able to find any information they need all from official, reliable sources.
New Positive Long-term Study Results
The 2020s will most likely see the release of additional long term studies around vaping. Some people could well have been vaping for 20 years by the late 2020s, which could help the industry to silence its critics once and for all.
As we currently know, vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking, and I am certain that any respectable case study conducted over many years will reaffirm this. Millions of people can’t be wrong when they say how much vaping has improved their quality of life, and with science on our side, it should be a very interesting 10 years.
Of course we should not fool ourselves that 100% of the feedback will be positive, particularly from disproportionate studies which tend not to focus on the direct comparisons between a smoker and a vaper.
Despite this, I think that a majority of credible studies will continue to find in vaping’s favour, which we have seen over the years.
More Efficient Regulation
Many lamented when the TRPR took away their choice of larger tanks and big bottles of nicotine containing e-liquid. As we enter this new decade, the scope to introduce more efficient and fair regulation is huge.
As the UK leaves the EU, this also will also allow us the chance to review any existing regulations, and perhaps replace them with a new set of responsible laws which still keeps inadequate product off the market, whilst ensuring vapers have a greater freedom of choice.
Whilst the future of regulation is unknown, I think it is safe to say that in the UK at least, things will largely stay the same for the foreseeable future, with any significant changes likely taking place at the start of a new parliamentary term.
Increased Public Acceptance & Awareness
Public opinion on vaping has been divided these last ten years, but the 2020s is a great opportunity to turn this around. As more and more people ditch cigarettes and turn to e-cigs, the more normal vaping will become.
With some high profile campaigns like Stoptober having previously endorsed vaping as a viable way to quit smoking, it’s reasonable to assume that this will continue over the next decade, helping people to embrace this potentially life-changing technology.
If vaping can change the smoking public’s perception and thus create new vapers, then it is possible that smokers in the UK could be equalled/outnumbered by vapers late in the decade.
More Informed Media Coverage
The media play a large role in our daily lives. With this in mind, the 2020s need to see responsible, informed reports concerning vaping, as far too many outlets currently choose sensationalist headlines which can scare people away from vaping.
Vaping will not be going anywhere, and irresponsible coverage without getting all the facts can, and has caused damage to the vaping industry in the past.
Getting the media to this level will always be an uphill battle, but as vapers we have a responsibility to call out those false and misleading headlines. As long as we do this, then we have a fighting chance to keep this sensationalism at arms length.
Can Vaping Really Take Over?
Never say never. In just a short space of time, vaping has become one of the main alternatives to smoking, with more people making the switch every day.
So can vaping really take over smoking in the next ten years? A 2024 study by ASH revealed that there are now 5.6 million vapers in the UK.
Want to find out more check out the ASH 2024 study on the ‘Use of vapes (e-cigarettes) among adults in Great Britain’.
If we can achieve half as many people vaping as smoking in an industry which has really only become truly mainstream in the last 5 years, then in the next decade as vaping matures and becomes more accepted, it is entirely possible that we could see vaping rightly knock smoking down a peg or two.
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