Czech Republic
The number of e-cigarette users has reached 70,000 in the 10.5-million Czech Republic since its introduction on the Czech market 10 years ago, but their share among smokers is still low, compared with countries such as Britain, according to daily Lidove noviny (LN). The number of classical tobacco smokers in the Czech Republic is estimated at 2.3 million.
The e-cigarette market has reached a mild year-on-year growth. Most of the sellers who planned to quickly enrich themselves have disappeared from this branch, whose professional qualities have increased as a result, Robert Hrdlicka, head of the E-Smoking Chamber, is quoted as saying. Almost 300 firms offer e-cigarettes and cartridges with e-liquid in about 1,000 shops across the Czech Republic. The use of e-cigarette has doubled in the Czech Republic in the past five years and apart from the e-cigarette regular users, the number of occasional users is estimated at tens of thousands more, the paper writes.
Unlike Britain, the Czech Republic has neither a thorough study describing its e-cigarette market nor a study to clearly describe the health impact of e-cigarettes.
The anti-smoking bill the lawmakers are to discuss in May, strictly bans all types of smoking, including e-smoking, in all pubs. Most recently, however, the Health Ministry said that e-cigarettes may be exempted from the ban.
Doctors and tobacco addiction fighters differ on how extensive the promotion and regulation of e-smoking should be, LN writes.