Vapes, also called electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping devices, are battery-operated devices that heat a solution (e-liquid) to create an aerosol that the user inhales. The e-liquid typically contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals, usually dissolved into propylene glycol and/or glycerin. While vapes do not burn or use tobacco leaves, vapes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco. Vapes can look like traditional tobacco cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but often resemble everyday objects like USB drives, pens, and markers.
Although many companies and advocates continue to bill them as a safer, smokeless alternative to traditional cigarettes, there is limited evidence to support this claim and the long-term effects of vape use remain unknown. We know that vapes are not harmless: nicotine in any form is highly addictive and the aerosol inhaled while vaping contains known carcinogens and toxic chemicals, as well as potentially toxic metal nanoparticles from the device itself.
1 in 10
middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days in 2022. (National Youth Tobacco Survey)
81%
of e-cigarette users between the ages of 15 and 24 said they started vaping to decrease stress, anxiety, or depression. (Truth Initiative)
31%
of young adults said they used vapes to consume THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in 2019. Some THC vapes also contain vitamin E acetate, linked to serious lung injuries.
Is Vaping a Harm Reduction Strategy?
Current smokers need help to quit, and those that cannot quit deserve a safer alternative. The tobacco industry has co-opted the term “harm reduction” – a proven public health strategy that can involve the provision of evidence-based, lower risk alternatives to harmful substances – as an argument against further regulation of nicotine-containing vaping devices. However, there’s a growing body of research indicating that e-cigarettes do more harm than good and few smokers in the US are using e-cigarettes for cessation. Because they are highly addictive for youth, contain large amounts of nicotine, and are marketed with youth-friendly flavors, vapes are not a suitable alternative to cigarettes for true harm reduction purposes. The companies selling them shamelessly advertise these products to youth to attract lifelong, valuable customers in ways that tobacco companies are prohibited from doing.