Written 07/04/2019
E-cigarettes have grown in popularity over the past few years. Almost every road you turn down there will be a person vaping somewhere. But here are some things you will be surprised to know about the vaping phenomenon.
1. It’s popularity among young people
Whether it’s following trends on Twitter or hanging out with friends, e-cigarettes are known to be used by young people.
In the most recent report of e-cigarette use by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), around one-third of 16-24-year olds had tried an e-cigarette, the highest figure out of all ages.
In a 2016 study by BMJ Open, teenagers in the UK perceived e-cigarettes as attractive, describing them as ‘fun’ and having ‘great flavourings’.
It also started that seeing websites or social media featuring e-cigarettes, especially YouTube ‘vaping tricks’, prompted teenagers to experiment and imitate.
However, Dr Abby Hunter, a senior researcher at the University of Nottingham and specialist in smoking cessation interventions says: “I don't think there’s a huge concern, especially how it’s being reported in the media.”
Although the age group who had tried e-cigarettes the most is 16-24-year-olds, more 25-34-year-olds then go on to use them regularly. Only 17% of the same demographic go on to be cigarette users compared to 21% of 25-34-year-olds.
2. People’s reasons for vaping are changing
In the same ONS report, the most common reason for non-smokers to vape in 2016 was for the ‘range of different flavours available’ and ‘novelty’.
However, in 2017 the most common reason was that vaping is ‘less harmful than cigarettes’, showing a growth of awareness in what e-cigarettes should be used for.
3. There are health benefits but also risks
According to a 2015 review by Public Health England, vaping is 95% safer than smoking tobacco. The report also states that tobacco use remains one of the country’s major public health challenges.
E-cigarettes are the number one quitting aid used by smokers. They are tightly regulated in the UK for safety and quality.
There are reports that the liquid and vapour in e-cigarettes could contain some potentially harmful chemicals but nothing as harmful as the tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke. Nicotine is in e-cigarettes and is addictive but relatively harmless.
There is no evidence that e-cigarettes are having an impact on the long-term decline in cigarette smoking among adults and youth. They may, in fact, be contributing to it.
Various epidemiological studies have shown that nicotine can act as a gateway to the use of cocaine and marijuana.
Nevertheless, “less than 1% are vaping that have never smoked before,” Dr Hunter says. “We know that smoking has a huge effect on the lungs and causes a wide range of conditions so compared to smoking the harm is much more reduced.”
4. Vaping for medical reasons
Many hemp-based health products are becoming mainstream in the UK, one is CBD.
CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol, which is a compound found in cannabis plants. It is said to have medical benefits relieving pain, anxiety and a range of other disorders.
However, there are reports that CBD can cause a reduction in appetite, breathing and in worse cases liver and mental health issues.
At the moment vaping CBD in the UK is legal as long as it does not contain THC which is what people use to become high.
It is not legal to smoke CBD with THC as smoking cannabis is not legal in the UK.
5. The growth of e-cigarettes
On average, people spend £55-£60 online, £40-£45 terrestrial on e-cigarettes and related products in three months.
The World Health Organisation states that there has been a rapid increase in the vaping population from around seven million in 2011 to 35 million in 2016.
E-cigarettes are a growing business. The UK is the third biggest market for e-cigarettes, making roughly over £1,500m a year. The global vapour product market is estimated to be worth £17.1bn.
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