Ray Story, chief executive of the Tobacco Vapor ElectronicCigarette Association, warned that tax rises on e-cigarettes would only benefit tobacco companies, to the detriment of public health.
It is the last of the major domestic tobacco companies to enter the electroniccigarette market as part of the industrywide push to diversify beyond the traditional cigarette business.
Last month on April 25, Altria announced, with significant surrounding publicity, that through its Nu Mark subsidiary it would introduce an electroniccigarette in the second half of this year.