Over the pond in the US, it seems the three largest tobacco companies have announced a nosedive in smoking rates, leaving stockholders questioning the real threat that e-cigarettes hold over their profits and the future of the tobacco industry.
Anti-smoking activists have worked tirelessly and helped lower the US smoking rate from 32% in the 1980s to 18.1% in 2012. Across the globe smokers face bans in public places, display restrictions and graphic marketing, and the latest tool in the arsenal for activists is the electronic cigarette.
Could this be the beginning of the end for traditional tobacco smoking?