Marlboro producer Altria Group Inc. is cashing in on the e-cigarette trend with their release of an electronic smoking device.
As sales for their traditional cigarette Marlboro have slumped in the recent past, Altria has decided to take another approach on tobacco, joining competitors like Lorillard Inc. that already have launched their own e-cig lines.
The market for classic tobacco has changed drastically, struggling under the pressure of increasing health concerns, more widespread public smoking bans and taxes that steadily climb by the year.
E-cigarettes aim to end that cig-related stigma-electronic cigarettes give an experience similar to a regular cigarette, but without the more harmful ingredients of rat poison and tar. Users smoke liquid nicotine heated up in a disposable cartridge that is released as vaporized smoke.
Altria's CEO Marty Barrington attended a meeting with investors on Tuesday. He told the Associated Press that his company has spent a fair amount of time researching the e-cigarette market and demographics.
"The category is in its early stages and time will tell how it will evolve," Barrington said at the presentation.
Under the brand MarkTen, Altria will enter the e-cigarette market. The smokes will cost around $9.50, with an extra cost for nicotine cartridge refills.
Some medical professionals claim that electronic cigarettes are healthier than traditional ones because they do not come with tar and chemicals.
But others, including anti-smoking organizations and a few legislators, are after heightened e-cigarette regulation. The FDA is in the midst of reviewing electronic cigarettes as a whole.
