[Photo] Sales of smokeless cigarettes increase 78 fold

According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF), sales for smokeless “heat not burn” cigarette devices during the first half of this year have increased by 78 fold compared to the same period last year. Total tobacco sales, on the other hand, decreased by 1.6 percent for the same period and by 17.3 percent since 2014. In short, smokeless tobacco devices are rapidly replacing conventional cigarettes among smokers. Consumption of conventional cigarettes decreased by 10.6 percent during the first six months of 2018 compared with the same period last year. While devices like the iQOS once occupied 0.1 percent of tobacco sales, they now comprise 9.3 percent.