History of Cigarettes 2014 - 2017

2014 - Worldwide, over 5.8 trillion cigarettes were smoked in 2014.

2014 - In the U.K., e-cigarette sales increase 340 percent over the previous year and outsold nicotine patches, gum and lozenges.

2014 - CVS will stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products.

2014 - The most cigarettes per person are consumed by China, Russia and USA.

2014 - China manufactures 95 percent of total e-cigarettes distributed worldwide.

2014 January - There are over 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes available.

2014 February - For the first time in 80 years, U.K. smoking rates fall below 20 percent.

2014 February - The EU Tobacco Products Directive states that all tobacco and cigarette packs must have graphic picture warnings covering 65 percent of the front and back of the pack.

2014 February - Altria launches MarkTen vapor products and purchases Green Smoke for $110 million.

2014 June - In Australia, cigarettes sales have fallen by 3.4 percent annually since the introduction of standardized packaging.

2014 July - One report states that only 12 percent of people smoke cigarettes compared with 42 percent in 1964.

2014 July - Reynolds American purchases Lorillard Tobacco for $27.4 billion. Imperial Tobacco will buy Winston, Salem, Kool and Blu for $7.1 billion as part of the deal.

2014 July - R.J. Reynolds ordered to pay $23.6 billion by a Florida court to the wife of a smoker who died of lung cancer.

2014 August - PMI threatens to sue the U.K. government if they move forward with standardised packaging.

2014 August - The WHO argues that e-cigarettes should be banned in public enclosed places and more guidelines must be implemented in their sales.

2014 October - Several U.S. senators call on the FDA to mandate aggressive warning labels on e-cigarettes.

2014 September - FDA to hold three workshops focused on e-cigarettes and public health concerns.

2014 December - The word of the year is vape, according to Oxford Dictionary.

2015 - In the U.S., smoking rates fall to 16.4 percent.

2015 - Cigarette smoking is highest among individuals with lower incomes and education levels. Smoking is also higher among African-American and Indian-American minority groups. Rates are also higher among the mentally ill and those belonging to the LBGT community.

2015 - Hawaii becomes the first state to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco-related products to 21.

2015 February - A ban on smoking in a car with a child is passed in the U.K. The first three countries to do so were Mauritius, Bahrain and South Africa. Bans are also in place in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, France, United Arab Emirates and parts of the U.S.

2015 February - Scotland bans e-cigarette use on hospital grounds.

2015 March - American Cancer Society awards the U.K. Department of Health the Exemplary Leadership award for tobacco-related policy controls.

2015 April - After Australia's standardized packaging introduction, illicit tobacco sales do not show an increase.

2015 May - Indiana passes a law which requires a permit to sell e-cigarettes. The permit is expensive and requires security measures that are near-impossible to meet. Several vaper companies filed a lawsuit in opposition of this law.

2015 August - An independent review by Public Health England claims that e-cigarettes can help smokers quit and are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

2015 September - BAT acquires CHIC e-cigarette group.

2015 September - Japan Tobacco Group buys Natural American Spirits for $5 billion.

2015 November - Swedish Match smokeless products are approved to be sold in the U.S. by the FDA. However, the FDA states that the products are not deemed to be safe and are not FDA approved.

2015 November - Multiple lawsuits filed against Five Pawns Inc. for failure to disclose harmful ingredients, including diacetyl and acetyl propionyl in their e-liquids.

2015 December - German courts rule that e-cigarettes and their corresponding liquids qualify as tobacco products; their sale and distribution requires taxes and permits.

2016 January - The sale of tobacco products is reported to have banned in Turkmenistan.

2016 January - Obama passes an act requiring all liquid nicotine containers to meet the same standards as child poisoning prevention packaging.

2016 February - An Australia study finds that standardised packaging has resulted in a decline in smoking.

2016 March - An estimated 20,000 people quit smoking with the aid of e-cigarettes in England in 2014.

2016 March - E-cigarette use banned on planes per the U.S. Department of Transportation.

2016 May - In the EU, e-cigarettes will be regulated under the EU Tobacco Products Directive. The amount of nicotine is limited, products have health warnings like cigarettes and all ingredients must be listed.

2016 May - FDA releases final deeming regulations on e-cigarettes. Deeming regulations cover flavors, selling regulations, health warnings, advertising and other various matters.

2016 June - Several companies file lawsuits to oppose the deeming regulations of the FDA.

2016 June - The EU joins the WHO's Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Protocol. They are the 18th jurisdiction to adopt the act.

2016 July - BAT will reduce its workforce over the next two years by 950 people, citing reduced smoking in Western Europe.

2016 - Increased concern is expressed over e-cigarette use and teens. The FDA issues warning letters about the sale of new tobacco products to minors.

2016 September - New Zealand passes legislation that all tobacco products must use standardised packaging.

2016 November - U.S. Housing and Urban Development bans cigarettes smoking in all public housing across the U.S. The ban does not include vaping as it poses no fire threat.

2016 November - Picture health warnings are required in 105 countries; five countries require standardized packaging and 13 countries are planning standardised packaging rollouts.

2016 December - Philip Morris sent an outline for a modified risk tobacco product to the FDA for a heated tobacco product.

2016 December - Several U.S. senators called on Vice President-elect Pence to repeal the FDA's deeming regulations on e-cigarettes, calling them too strict.

2017 - Annual global spending on smoke-related illness is $1.4 trillion.

2017 February - Imperial Brands and China National Tobacco launch a new venture, Global Horizon Ventures Limited, to create new smokeless products and traditional cigarettes.

2017 February - Ex-smokers who use only e-cigarettes are found to have significant reductions in cigarette-related carcinogens. Some carcinogens test up to 97 percent lower with e-cigarette use than traditional cigarettes.