7 Vaping Predictions for 2022 [That Are Likelier Than Not to Come True]

The vaping industry has seen a meteoric rise in the last decade, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. In fact, there are a number of predictions that vapers can expect for 2022 – and I’m betting on most of these to come true.

And while the market is growing at a rapid pace there are still many people who have never seen or used an e-cigarette or a cartomizer vape before. In fact, some countries in Europe and Asia don’t even allow them for sale yet.

But that might be changing in 2022.

Still, keep in mind that these predictions are more centered around the United States, Canada, and Europe while other countries may have their own unique trends.

The US Market Will Survive – And Grow [Along With Vape Taxes]
The US vaping industry will continue to grow, with the number of vape shops increasing. The FDA will continue to approve new vaping products for sale in the country and it is likely there will be more than 50 such approvals by 2022. I know – right now, this seems unlikely. But I’m counting on FDA not wanting to plunge a fair bit of business owners into bankruptcy. So they’ll have to do this.

And while we’ll enjoy using these new products there will also be new changes in regulations that will have a big impact on how things are done. However, many manufacturers may still face issues getting their products approved. Funny enough, some applications remain outstanding from 2017. Just imagine how much new stuff we missed so far.

But there’s a downside…

At the moment there are currently no federal excise taxes on e-cigarette products, but it is probable this will change soon. Some states already have such a tax in place and others are considering it for some time now. In 2022, there may be more than 20 states that have a federal excise tax on e-cigarettes.

Unfortunately, I have more bad news – the US government may introduce regulations that make it more difficult for some vape shop owners to operate. And while I firmly believe this won’t slow down the industry as a whole, it’s more likely this will slow down the pace of the US vaping industry’s overall growth. 

Canadians Might Get Unexpected Help from Big Tobacco
Canada was one of the first countries to license vape products as a quit-smoking aid, however, Health Canada is not allowing vape companies to apply for medical licenses on their own. Basically, even though vaping is considered a great substitution for smoking, it can’t be proscribed as a medical method to achieve just that.

And, unless there is some organization to intervene, vaping won’t be able to cross that line any time soon. 

Now, one that comes to my mind is Big Tobacco of course. While that could sound silly at first, hear me out. Many vapers would love the possibility to use their products for medical reasons. It’s not that hard to imagine for tobacco companies to apply for the licenses on behalf of their brands. Let’s be honest here, while their losses due to vaping are not so impactful, they are certainly on the losing side, so investing in the future would be a stellar move. And while I personally don’t believe that Big Tobacco gives rats a** about vapers, I do know that it loves the smell of money.

As vaping becomes more mainstream, it’s likely that we’ll see the number of countries licensing their products as medical aids increase even further. Of course, there are still a few hold-outs, but it’s unlikely they are about to remain so for much longer.

Vaping in the EU Will Continue to Grow

The EU will continue to be a major player in the vaping industry, no doubt about that.

Even though it’s still faced with some well-known challenges, such as strict rules when it comes to vaping [they’re not getting any less restrictive anytime soon], Europe is still one of the biggest markets for vaping products. Even when faced with the most discussed ban, of course, the ban on flavors [only flavor currently allowed being tobacco] Europe still has a promising future and expects high revenue in the upcoming year. Regardless of any ban, I’m quite sure we’ll see a change in 2022 as more countries start to embrace vaping and its benefits. 

Health experts will certainly have their hands full working to find new ways of limiting nicotine levels and still allowing smokers access to e-liquid flavors (e.g., by creating reduced-strength nicotine e-liquids). This will be a major win for the vaping industry and will help to further legitimize vaping as an alternative to smoking.

Smoking Will Keep Loosing to Vaping
Vaping will continue snuffing out smoking – but at a slower rate than previously seen. Smoking in America has been dropping year over year for decades now. It’s hard to find an example of any other habit that is declining so quickly from people who are not actively trying to quit.

Cigarette smoking is down from over 40% of the population in 1965 to under 18% today. That’s thanks, in part, to vaping. It’s estimated that around 37 million people have successfully quit smoking cigarettes with the help of vaping – and that number is only going to grow. The UK shares a similar story as well. Over the years smoking has been on a decrease while vaping kept steadily rising within the adult population.

That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see any steep drops in smoking over the next five years, unfortunately. 

Hardcore smokers still have a hard time quitting, and it’s more likely they’ll stick with their habit for as long as they can. The percentage of hardcore smokers is expected to remain fairly stable – but at an extremely low level, around 12-15%. On a good note, if you don’t smoke cigarettes now, it’s very unlikely that you ever will.

The UK Will Make Progress on Prescribing Vaping as a Cessation Method
The UK has been fighting a long battle against Big Tobacco for quite some time. The fight started in the ’80s and is still going strong today. Big tobacco companies have spent millions of pounds to keep advertising cigarettes arnund the globe – from billboards on street corners to television commercials during sporting events…

Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for us), the UK government is not one to back down from a fight.

And while the UK has a solid plan to be a completely smoke-free country by 2030, how are they doing today? It is expected that the UK will continue its battle, and as the years pass by, these battles will become even more fierce.  Still, they have a couple of challenges ahead of them, such as vaping amongst young adults and high-schoolers, which does not shine a good light on the vaping world and community. And while smoking has been slowly decreasing, and there are fewer new smokers, people who never smoked in their life are drawn to vaping for various reasons.

Unfortunately, the media loves to start fires and one of them is crucifying vaping for that same reason.

Vaping & the Environment
The vaping industry has seen some incredible advances in technology over the past few years. We’ve gone from simple cigalikes to mods that can produce hundreds of watts of power. It’s safe to say that we can expect even more impressive advancements in vaping technology over the next five years. Mods will become more powerful, tanks will become more efficient, and flavors will become more realistic. And while vaping has been seen as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to smoking for many years now [vaping produces around 95% less pollution than smoking], the amount of waste produced by the vaping industry still causes concern. 

E-cigarettes and vape mods contain a number of materials that can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly. This may cause an increase in the number of people calling for more environmentally-friendly vaping products in 2022.  But, if I can vouch for anything is that these voices will be heard and the industry will do something about it.

The vape industry and community have learned to leave together and know that they depend on each other.

Most Countries Will Ban Smoking – Indoors & Outdoors
Now, what does the smoking ban has anything to do with vaping? Well, the number of countries banning indoor smoking is growing all the time. Many countries have already banned it in restaurants, bars, and clubs – but there are still a few hold-outs. However, as vaping becomes more popular around the globe, we can expect to see an increase in indoor smoking bans too. In fact, many businesses (especially those that serve food or alcohol) will start to ban vaping indoors as well. While this may seem like a step backward, it’s actually a great thing for the vaping industry.

How so?

It’s important to understand that vaping can’t be put in the same basket as smoking.

The sooner this becomes common knowledge, it will help to further legitimize vaping as an alternative to smoking, and make it easier for vapers to enjoy their hobby without having to worry about other people’s opinions.