To think vapes need consigning to the history books?

I hate smoking and I hate vaping! Get rid of all of it! People don't need to be doing either.

I hate them with a passion, I don't understand how fanatics of these awful anti-social things can defend them. I very much doubt they have no long-term adverse health effects and they are terrible for the environment. Very few people actually use them as a short-term measure to wean themselves off cigarettes - even if that is their intention to begin with, they seem to get hooked on the vape, and then there are the ones who have never smoked but seem to think it looks cool (it really doesn't). I don't give a chuff what people do to their own bodies but I really object to breathing a cloud of god-knows-what that has just been exhaled from someone's chest cavity whilst I'm walking along blissfully unaware that someone in front of me is about to unleash it on me. And unlike cigarette smoke, it hangs in the air for ages especially on a damp day - sometimes when I walk to work early in the morning I can smell it in the air yet there's nobody around. It's a vile, stupid habit.

So what?
Methadone hasnt solved Heroin use - but it's harm reduction, and that is beneficial regardless of whether mumsnetters think its approproate or not.

I agree. They are bloody disgusting. They remind me of babies sucking on dummies but emitting disgusting smells like a vapour trail.

Because stopping smoking isn't about addiction in a lot of ways.

The addiction from nicotine is fast, but extremely mild to come off overall. Someone who spent 50 years smoking 50 a day, would be over the addiction in no time. The main part within days, completely gone within a month.

Nicotine does have a high habbit forming action though, and it is this part that people have to address. Patches dont address this and were always very limited in help. Patches were supposed to stop the initial thoughts that you have made a mistake from the first addiction leaving early, while you focus on redirecting the habbit. Then when you reduce the addiction as normal you dont have to also face the habbit forming part pulling you back.

But everyone would just stick the patch on, think that was it, and wonder why it didn't help. Vapes are the new habbit part of the equation.

And lots of emerging evidence that they are very harmful

https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/impact-of-e-cigarettes-on-lung#

There are quite often stories about fires in bin lorries caused by lithium batteries not correctly disposed of.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4en50v6ngo

Oops, wrong thread. Meant to post in the Glasgow fire thread. But it equally applies here.

I think they should be banned.

Also... https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/english-school-children-unwittingly-smoking-spice-spiked-vapes-finds-university-of-bath/

I agree. They should be prescription only. Think they’ve done that in Australia. And absolutely shouldn’t be sold on view. They only just covered up cigarettes on sales!

You can’t really compare vaping to drinking though - I’m not made to passively drink alcohol every time I pass someone sitting in a beer garden.

I think adults should be allowed to purchase whatever they like, vapes, cigarettes, alcohol, I'd say alcohol is far worse than a vape but there's no call to ban that and nor should there be for adults who can make their own decisions.

”I wonder if a thread telling drinkers they should stop as it’s bad for them vs drinking water gets a positive response?”

Quite. I’d happily never touch a drop of alcohol again but I don’t judge those who mainline wine every night.

Actually most places don't allow vaping now.

Im quite happy to have transferred the addiction. I liked smoking. I enjoyed it. I now enjoy vaping instead.

I don't drink (literally do not drink alcohol at all, not one of these 'oh i don't really drink... except those two bottles of wine a weekend and get slaughtered any time I go out past 5pm' types), I don't do recreational drugs (any more), and I mostly vape in my own home.

So why should I give up? I don't want to... I wonder if a thread telling drinkers they should stop as its bad for them vs drinking water gets a positive response?

That's true, but it's better for you than smoking.

It's not any more mad than taking up smoking or drinking alcohol or taking any drugs though. People are addicted to all sorts of things. I'm quite happy I don't smoke or drink or take drugs. I believe vaping is the smaller problem.

The point was that starting vaping to give up smoking has just transferred the addiction, it hasn’t actually solved it.

Buildings catch fire when people don't take sensible precautions, batteries are a risk, there are batteries in so many things these days!

I would bet every single one of you has a device with a battery in it that could fail, explode etc, in your hand, pocket or bag or on the side plugged in charging, right now. All of you do. Unless you don't have a mobile phone.

Vaping has kept me off the cigs for over a decade now, I don't cough, I rarely catch colds vs when I smoked.

In the UK vape juices have to be thoroughly tested and meet certain standards.

Vapes were not invented to stop people smoking, they were invented as an alternative and they are absolutely that. They were then subsequently used including by the NHS, to stop smoking.

I have a mod box (battery controller unit) that takes rechargeable batteries. It gets replaced probably every two to three years. Batteries no longer holding a charge are disposed of properly (my local vape shop will swap old for new and dispose them appropriately).

The coils which are disposable are metal, rubber and cotton, not plastic.

The NHS and those who run the studies still agree that vaping is less harmful than smoking - of course this only refers to vaping tested UK produced vape juices, if you're buying cheap imported vapes that aren't tested, well more fool you really.

Well unfortunately some of us need a dummy. Be glad you don't. But don't judge other people.

So are you advocating for nicotine free vapes or are you railroading an ex smoker to admit that she still vapes?

You've clearly never smoked. It's an addiction and not easy to give up.

I'm an ex smoker, also struggle with extreme anxiety. I vape now and it definitely helps me. I would like not to be addicted to it, but I'm grateful I'm not smoking anymore. My vape is refillable and lasts a long time. I just refill with vape juice. I also don't like the sweet flavours, I just vape mint.

I agree though that disposables shouldn't be available anymore - I thought they were banned? - and also hate all the shops on the high street that I've been told are a cover for money laundering. How are they getting away with it? I only buy online from the same reputable company. I also agree they should be for 25+ only and if someone younger needs them to stop smoking they should need a prescription.

I disagree about patches and nicotine gum though. They never helped me stop smoking, vaping is the only thing that helped. I've spoken to smoking cessation services, there is nothing else available that imitates the act of smoking and helps. Also I buy my own vape equipment, so I'm not a drain on the NHS. I haven't had a cough since starting vaping ten years ago and I'm not out of breathe when active. I even rarely get colds.

I would however like to know more about the longterm effect vaping might have. I don't believe there is any problem with second hand vape, as it's just steam/vapour not smoke. The cars passing you in the street will do more damage. Obviously if you don't like the very sweet smell, I understand that, I don't either. However, I'm all for it helping people give up smoking. I hate the smell of cigarettes too, if I had to choose I'd choose the smell of vaping.

There is literal, scientific evidence that vaping is better for you thank smoking. Whether or not anyone 'feels' like it shouldn't be, it is. This is from a 2022 report updating a longitudinal study https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update-main-findings#harm-perceptions

2.1 Overall conclusions
Based on the evidence that the team reviewed, the conclusions were that:

in the short and medium term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking
vaping is not risk-free, particularly for people who have never smoked
evidence is mostly limited to short and medium term effects and studies assessing longer term vaping (for more than 12 months) are necessary
more standardised and consistent methodologies in future studies would improve interpretation of the evidence