While some consequences of the deadly coronavirus pandemic are known and obvious, like the tragic loss of life and economic devastation, there are a host of other issues that have arisen — or will — as a side effect of COVID-19.
Some of these additional problems may be tough for policymakers and public health professionals to predict, but could still have long-term negative implications for Americans. A clear example of this was recently highlighted in a recent story in The Wall Street Journal that detailed how the “decades long decline” in cigarette sales has ended, in part, because of the pandemic.
Americans are turning back to cigarettes for a multitude of reasons. An easy one to understand is that more people are working from home or have sadly lost their jobs and therefore have more time and a greater ability to smoke.
Another contributing factor, which occurred pre-pandemic, is government policies that have pushed people away from products like e-cigarettes, and unfortunately pushed them back toward smoking traditional cigarettes. According to The Wall Street Journal, “some e-cigarette users turned back to combustible cigarettes because of increased e-cigarette taxes, bans on flavored vaping products and confusion about the health effects of vaping.”
MATT MACKOWIAK – WASHINGTON TIMES – FEB 21, 2021.