It is difficult to determine if vaping has fewer health risks than smoking. Originally, vaping was the catalyst for people to find a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes to lead longer, more fulfilling lives. However, recent press on vaping will have you believe that the health risks are just as dangerous as smoking.
While this debate rages on, scientists are increasingly exploring the health risks of electronic cigarettes as an alternative to smoking and other tobacco products. A paper by 15 past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, published in the American Journal of Public Health, argues that lobbyists and other special interest groups manipulate and twist vaping data to create public panic for their agendas.
With so much conflicting information on vaping and its potential health risks, choosing what will work best for smoking cessation becomes a daunting challenge. For many, vaping is a safer, cheaper, and less smelly alternative to a tobacco product, which leaves them confused when they hear that it has similar health risks to traditional cigarettes. To get to the bottom of this mystery, we compiled a list of the pros and cons of vaping to clear up misconceptions on the topic.
Benefits of Vaping
The Health Risks Are Less Than Smoking
While the contemporary narrative is that vaping is just as harmful to an individual’s health as smoking, many researchers have conducted studies that state the opposite. For example, scientists with the British Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England and the American National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that vaping is up to 95% less harmful than smoking.
This result is primarily due to the absence of primary combustion chemicals users consume when vaping. The combustion from smoking is the main culprit for long-term health problems as it creates tar and carbon monoxide. In addition, people who use vape products in place of former smoking habits experience greater heart and lung capacity and improved senses of smell and taste.
An Absence of Noxious Odours
One of the advantages former smokers make when they switch to vaping is the absence of the smells from smoking tobacco. The odours left by tobacco products get into clothes, walls of your house, or car fabric leaving a residual smell that is hard to remove. With vaping, while there is a scent, it is fleeting and does not soak into these areas. In fact, the smell of some vape flavours is quite pleasant.
Monitor and Control Nicotine Intake
A tremendous benefit of vaping is controlling the nicotine intake for the consumer. Vape juices come in a large variety of choices with varying nicotine levels. Most former smokers who choose to vape as a form of smoking cessation choose high-nicotine content juices and gradually work themselves down to a comfortable level.
There is even vape juice that contains no nicotine, which provides a goal to reach for many former smokers who want to eliminate their nicotine intake.
Control Vapour Output
Another significant benefit to vaping is the ability to control the vapour output. Vaping batteries have controls that allow the user to adjust the power output, coil type, and airflow that impact the amount of vapour exhaled. This benefit allows users to choose smaller, more discreet vaping settings or cloud-creating settings using high-powered batteries with specific modifications.
Regardless of your preference, the ability to select your preferred method is crucial in the pros and cons of vaping.
A Wide Variety of Flavours
Unlike tobacco products, the juice used for vaping comes in a wide variety of flavours. These flavours suit any palate as they come in options such as fruits, desserts, menthol, beverages, or tobacco. In addition to all of these varieties, customers have the opportunity to create their own flavours if they have specific tastes that they want from an e-juice.
Immediate Gratification
For experienced vape users, some devices have a multitude of settings that allow for an ultimately pleasurable vaping experience. However, for beginners who do not know the nuances of vaping, there are simple products that only require charging and filling a cartridge (such as Pod Vapes) to enjoy the experience. While these devices require an electric charge, devices with a full charge can last the entire day, making it easy to pick them up and use them at your convenience.
Competitive Prices on Vaping Products
The vaping industry is a highly competitive market. This competition means products come in a wide variety of prices that fit any budget. Whether people want simple, single-use disposable vapes or expensive, custom-made mods that contain premium e-juice, there is something for everyone. In addition, on average, vape products are at a lower price point than cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Product Availability
Finding vaping products has never been easier for consumers. With the industry’s growing popularity, most cities have full vape shops with all the components required to engage in the experience. In addition to vape shops, most convenience stores, smoke shops, and gas stations have vape products.
Finally, there is a significant presence of vape juices, batteries, and pods available online.
Cons of Vaping
An Overwhelming Amount of Choices
Unlike smoking, which requires buying cigarettes and lighting them, vaping contains many product options that can overwhelm the uninitiated. For new vapers or smokers looking to make the switch, simpler products such as disposable vapes are often best to begin with. They allow the user to become familiarised with the industry and available products.
The Vaping Learning Curve
New vape users risk becoming frustrated when they begin their journey, as they might receive poor recommendations on the best vapes for beginners. This frustration may push these users back to their familiar tobacco products, reducing the likelihood of leaving that life behind. Instead, experts recommend simple vape devices for new users to help them become more acquainted with the vaping industry and practices.
Vaping Health Risks
Most health professionals state that there is insufficient long-term data to determine any potential health risks from vaping. However, people looking to switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping to improve their health can rest assured that vaping is safer. This is because vape products contain trace amounts of the well-documented harmful chemicals in cigarettes but still contain propylene glycol that mimics the smoking sensation.
Vaping Stigma
Unfortunately, since vaping followed smoking in its inception, it suffers much of the same stigma as its predecessor. People who have never smoked or vaped do not distinguish between the two. So, although vaping is significantly healthier for consumers, many still suffer the same stigma as smokers due to the pros and cons of vaping.
Vaping Is Dangerous to the Youth
Many adults looking to switch from smoking to vaping have trepidations due to the media’s influence stating that a “vaping epidemic” exists in today’s youth. We are all concerned and want to ensure our young people are not taken advantage of with addictive products. So, panic over vaping has caused many to ignore its benefits and lump it in with smoking as a significant health risk to younger generations.
General Misinformation on Nicotine
Because it has a long history of being tied to cigarettes and other tobacco products, nicotine has developed a poor reputation. However, nicotine is not what is dangerous to the human body; it is the additional chemicals within cigarettes that cause health issues. Nicotine has similar effects on the body as caffeine.
In addition, some researchers have found nicotine to have some health benefits and that it is not the cause of cancer for users.
Restrictive Vaping Rules and Laws
Because anti-vaping lobbyists pushed the notion of a “vaping epidemic,” the industry has suffered strict regulations that make it difficult for consumers to access the products they enjoy. Such attempts to pressure the sector include large tax amounts for vape products and legislation stating the postal service cannot deliver them via US mail. In addition, some countries, including Australia, have banned the sale of nicotine vape juice and now regulate vaping products as medical aids.
Finding Accurate Information on Vaping Is Challenging
Vaping has illuminated the power struggle between the cigarette industry and government oversight of tobacco products. For this reason, finding accurate information on vaping is increasingly difficult. Many anti-vaping agencies push frightening stories about vaping to dissuade potential users.
This makes it challenging to determine fact from fiction regarding vaping.
There are many different types of vape devices on the market, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Here is a brief overview of the six most common types:
E-Cigarette: A battery-powered device that heats liquid nicotine to create a vapour you inhale. This vape device is popular among smokers trying to quit cigarettes as it mimics the look and feel of a traditional cigarette.
Vape Pen: A vape pen is similar to an e-cigarette but usually has a larger battery and can be used with liquids containing nicotine or cannabis oil. Vape pens are also popular among people who want to quit smoking cigarettes or cannabis products.
Disposable Vape Pen: A disposable vape pen is exactly what it sounds like – once the battery dies, you throw the whole thing away and buy another one. These pens are cheap and easy to use, but they don’t last very long before you have to replace them. Recently rechargeable disposable vapes have been developed that enable all vape juice devices to be used before disposal.
Vape Mod: A vape mod is more advanced than other vape devices because it allows you to customize the settings as your preferences change. Mods can include features like temperature control and variable wattage/voltage. They can also be made from wood or metal, giving them a more stylish look.
Pod Vape: The pod vape-style device was made famous by companies like Juul. They are mostly made out of plastic and come in various colours. You insert your pod into the vape and click the button to activate it. Pod vapes are also known as nic salt devices as they use a different type of juice made with nicotine salts.
CBD Vape: CBD vape devices deliver cannabidiol (CBD) to consumers. CBD e-liquids and CBD oils are becoming increasingly popular due to their effectiveness in treating anxiety, pain relief, insomnia, and inflammation.
Cannabis Vaporizer Device: A cannabis vape device is a specific vape pen that uses cannabis flowers instead of liquid nicotine. Users inhale the vaporized cannabinoids contained in the cannabis flowers. Cannabis vaporizers come in all shapes and sizes, from small portable devices to large desktop vaporizers. They all work differently, but typically they allow users greater control over the temperature at which marijuana flowers are heated, resulting in smoother, tastier vapour.
Conclusion
While vaping has many detractors, its power as a smoking cessation tool is undeniable. The fact that it delivers nicotine without combustion is a significant health benefit over cigarettes since combustion is the most harmful part of cigarettes. While vaping is not for everyone, its pros and cons show that it is an excellent alternative to traditional tobacco products.
So, if you are considering switching from cigarettes or other tobacco to vaping, we hope this piece helps make that decision easier.
For more information on vaping and vaping products, contact OZ Vapour today!