New, Shocking Poll Says Americans Think Vaping Is As Dangerous As Smoking Cigarettes

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has revealed that a growing number of Americans say vaping is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, following a mysterious outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths. 

The new poll was published Tuesday morning, found that 63% of adults disagreed with the statement that “vaping is healthier than traditional cigarettes.” 

Reuters/Ipsos conducted a similar poll in 2016, back then, only 47% disagreed with the above statement, that’s a 16% increase over the last three years.

The poll was conducted Sept. 17-18, around the time when government officials confirmed vaping-related illnesses reached more than 500. 

It found that 29% of adults think vaping is the best way to help a traditional smoker quit, and 77% said vaping should be regulated just like cigarettes. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the outbreak of illnesses across the country. So far, eight people have died in California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oregon, and hundreds more have been hospitalized with severe respiratory issues. 

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) alarmist briefing last Thursday about the number of deaths and illnesses, Walmart on Friday announced plans to halt all sales of e-cigarettes while citing “uncertainty” amid the outbreak.

“Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club US locations,” the company said in a statement. “We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory.”

 Altria’s $12.8 billion investment in e-cig maker Juul last year has sent the company’s stock tumbling in the last 15 days, down nearly -15%, after a government ban on flavored e-cigarettes severely dent sales.

Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, spoke with Reuters about the chaos unfolding in the vape industry. Conley said, “This is the natural consequence of a seemingly unending stream of misleading news stories.” 

He said many of the vaping-related illnesses “involved people who used e-cigarettes to smoke street-bought drugs or liquids that contain ingredients from cannabis, not tobacco.” 

Several days ago, we covered a story out of The Boston Globe that specified how oil-filled vaporizer cartridge sales in Massachusetts collapsed 25% in the last month.

CDC and FDA officials have said vaping oils containing marijuana ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or vaping oils with vitamin E acetate, a substance found in some THC products, could be the cause of the outbreak. 

Several weeks ago, the FDA sent a warning letter to Juul for marketing its e-cigarettes as safer than cigarettes. 

E-cigarettes have been a massive hit with millennials — now it’s killing them. About half of all 18 to 34-year-olds have tried vaping.