Smoking Will Likely Disappear In A Generation, Say Analysts

It’s no secret that attitudes towards smoking have changed over the years.

My parents can recall the years when smoking in offices was the norm, and getting your hands on a packet of fags without ID wasn’t a problem.

Back then, people weren’t aware of the risks associated and they’d probably laugh in your face if you gave them a crystal ball to look into the future and see a vape pen.

Nevertheless, things have indeed changed, and now experts believe that smoking cigarettes could in fact disappear in the next 10 to 20 years.

With many countries making the shift towards safer products, like vape pens, and governments setting out smoke-free targets for the next few years, analysts have predicted that soon there could be no more smokers left.

‘With regulators and tobacco ambitions increasingly aligned, in many countries, no smokers within a generation could become a reality,’ Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett explained, as per the Medical Xpress.

‘If smoke free is to happen, this is only achieved with the support of reduced-risk products.’

These views are shared by Citigroup Inc, which believes that cigarette smoking could completely disappear from the United States, as well as parts of Europe, Australia and Latin America, if current trends of decline are anything to go by.

Adam Spielman, a Citi analyst, explained:

Smoking has been in decline for the past five decades because of what we call the ESG Squeeze: pressures from societal attitudes, regulation, and taxation.

The reports are an interesting juxtaposition to the fact that many parts of the US are currently making moves to legalise smoking cannabis, while several states have already taken the plunge. It’s unclear whether analysts are including the consumption of marijuana through smoking in their predictions.

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