According to ZeroHedge and the Wall Street Journal, instead of declining as in previous years, cigarette sales ballooned alongside the sales of booze and drugs.
Even though sales have continually been on the decline for decades, 2015 did see a small rebound. This was due to some people returning to cigarettes after feelings of paranoia from the major health risks, and similar addictive powers of the nicotine vaping products.
In 2019 cigarettes sales fell another 5.5%. But in 2020 the numbers completely reversed and the sales returned to a flatline state.
ZeroHedge points out that is not very difficult to understand why there was a rise. When consumers were under lockdown, money was not being spent on things such as gas and travel, eating out, and other things – this left a little more money in their wallets to waste as these individuals were at home with less to do.
Added depression and uncertainty plays a factor as well, as those worried and carrying anxiety looked for an escape, and relief of pain and sorrow
Altria, a tobacco company, has not released projections for 2021. They claim these numbers are contingent on vaccine rollout, as has been the response for so many other company’s outlooks.
E-cigarettes saw a boom in 2019. The vaporizer products released by Juul became very popular among teens, and a whole new generation has revitalized the addictive smoking practices.
Federal regulators under Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the head of the FDA from 2017 to 2019, attempted to bury cigarettes sales by raising the age of purchase limit to 21, and urged President Trump to halt flavored vapes and methanol cigarettes, but the former President was hesitant to halt these cigarettes.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Revelation 9:21
I am not a huge fan of going to the Greek and Hebrew when explaining scripture, unless it only supports the meaning the text but not correcting it. The Greek word for sorcery and witchcraft is “pharmakeia.” This where “pharmacy” comes from. People now (but during the day of the Lord especially where the context of that verse belongs) will not repent of their drugs. They would rather choose to waste money in destroying their health.
And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
Leviticus 26:39
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines “pine” or “pining” as “To languish; to lose flesh or wear away under any distress of anxiety of mind; to grow lean; followed sometimes by away.” “To languish with desire; to waste away with longing for something; usually followed by for.” Smokers are pining away in their sins. Smoking destroys the body and mind in so many ways, and are very addictive. Do not fall for the vapes and e-cigarettes: same “dif.”
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