Iceland: Smoking Rates Have Dropped Significantly Thanks to Vaping

An Icelandic doctor is calling vaping “a great blessing” for Icelanders’ health, as it has led to a drastic drop in smoking rates.

Diane Caruana

March 4, 2018

In 2014, 35,000 Icelanders smoked, by 2017 this figure had dropped to 9%, which amounts to approximately 22,000 people.

“Smoking has been falling like a rock like we’ve never seen before,” said local doctor Guðmundur Karl Snæbjörnsson. “The biggest contributing factors have been mouth tobacco and vaping, which have clearly been wiping smoking out.”

According to Vísirreports, between 2008 and 2017, cigarettes sales dropped by 50%, whilst the number of vapers is thought to have reached about 22,000. In 2014, 35,000 Icelanders which equated to 14% of the population, reported they smoked and by 2017 this figure had dropped to 9%, which amounts to approximately 22,000 people.

Dr. Guðmundur Karl Snæbjörnsson, says vaping is largely responsible for this 40% percent drop in smoking, and therefore is referring to e-cigarettes as “a great blessing”.

“Smoking has been falling like a rock”

As it stands, Iceland has no vaping regulations set in place. Last year, Iceland’s Minister of Health Óttarr Proppé announced a bill was being drafted to extend the existent smoking regulations to vaping, and therefore ban the use of e-cigarettes in bars, restaurants, workplaces and schools. However this bill was not approved.

Read Further: The Reykjavik Grapevine