Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) deliver an inhaled aerosol to the user that typically contains nicotine, flavorings, and other additives. 1 e-Cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes but generally contain a battery, a heating element, and an e-liquid reservoir. 1 e-Cigarettes could help adult smokers if used as a complete substitute for conventional cigarettes. 1,2 However, research on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is inconclusive, 2 and e-cigarettes are not currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a cessation aid. 1,2 Moreover, e-cigarette aerosol can contain harmful constituents, 1,2 and use of these products among young people is a public health concern. 1 Most e-cigarettes deliver nicotine, which is addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain. 1 National self-reported surveys traditionally provide annual estimates of tobacco product use. In 2016, 3.2% of US adults and 11.3% of US high school students were current users of e-cigarettes. 3 However, e-cigarettes are an evolving product class, and retail sales data available at more frequent intervals (eg, weekly) can complement annual surveys and identify emerging trends. 1 This study assessed e-cigarette sales in the United States during 2013-2017.

In 2015, almost all e-cigarette products sold in US convenience stores and other assessed channels contained nicotine. Public Health Implications. Findings reinforce the importance of warning labels for nicotine-containing products, ingredient reporting, and restrictions on sales to minors.

Introduction Little cigars are comparable to cigarettes in terms of shape, size, filters and packaging. Disproportionate tobacco excise taxes, which directly affect purchase price, may lead consumers to substitute cigarettes with less expensive little cigars. This study estimated the effects of little cigar and cigarette prices on little cigar sales. Methods Sales data from a customised retail scanner database were used to model a log–log equation to infer own-price and cross-price elasticity of demand for little cigars relative to little cigar and cigarette prices, respectively, from quarter 4 of 2011 to quarter 4 of 2013. Data were available for convenience stores (C-stores) (n=29 states); food, drug and mass merchandisers (FDMs) (n=44 states); and C-stores and FDMs combined (n=27 states). The dependent variable was per capita little cigar pack sales, and key independent variables were the price index for little cigars and cigarettes. Results A 10% increase in little cigar price was associated with a 25% (p<0.01) decrease in little cigar sales in C-stores alone, and a 31.7% (p<0.01) decrease in C-stores and FDMs combined. A 10% increase in cigarette price was associated with a 21.5% (p<0.05) increase in little cigar sales in C-stores, and a 27.3% (p<0.01) increase in C-stores and FDMs combined. Conclusions Our results suggest that US cigarette smokers are avoiding the high cost of cigarettes by switching to lower priced little cigars. Increasing and equalising prices among comparable products, like cigarettes and little cigars, may motivate cost-conscious smokers to quit.