The amount of liquid nicotine that was extracted last year to supply demand for electronic cigarettes in just the U.S. and Europe amounted to more than 100 tons, a consultant who works with electronic-cigarette makers said Wednesday at a
tobacco industry conference in Williamsburg.
“Already, the electronic cigarette has surpassed the traditional production capacity of nicotine” to supply quit-smoking products, such as nicotine patches and gum, said Laurent Leduc, a consultant and former chief operating officer of Alchem USA, a maker of plant-derived pharmaceuticals.