Demand for vape products has surged more than eleven-fold since the coronavirus pandemic and the UK ban on menthol tobacco cigarettes.

This is according to vape retailer Every Cloud Vape Shop, which said its sales grew by 1,150% during the three months of lockdown between March and May, compared to the previous three months.

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Despite the UK ban on menthol tobacco cigarettes, there was a 69% increase in sales of menthol vape products and e-liquids in May.

The retailer said this surge in demand for vapes suggests that many menthol and traditional tobacco cigarette smokers may be using the lockdown and the menthol tobacco cigarette ban as an opportunity to quit smoking.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the main reason that 67% of people use vapes and e-cigarettes is either as an aid to stop tobacco smoking, or because it is less harmful than tobacco smoking.

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Its research also found that 93% of people who have tried vapes or e-cigarettes were previously tobacco smokers.

Meanwhile, a recent joint study by YouGov and Action on Smoking & Health, revealed that more than 300,000 people in the UK have quit smoking due to fears related to the coronavirus.

Jon Humphrey, manager of operations at Every Cloud Vape Shop, said: “While the ban on menthol cigarettes is a positive step forward, it is important to recognise that there are thousands of smokers out there who have only ever used menthol cigarettes, and who are now likely finding giving up smoking an unexpected challenge.

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“Vaping is recognised by the NHS and health organisations as much less harmful than tobacco smoking and an effective tool in giving up tobacco cigarettes. E-liquid also does not include tobacco or produce carbon monoxide or tar, two of the most damaging components inhaled from tobacco cigarettes.”

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