Has vaping caused more problems than it has solved?

Had vaping been kept as a weaning alternative to help stop smoking cigarettes, nicotine flavour only, it was potentially helpful. By making all the different 'fun' flavours that are guaranteed to attract children and make it seem less harmful freely available, they have allowed a new addiction to take a hold and this one will be even harder to stop. I know many people who have never smoked a cigarette but have taken up vaping and now are totally addicted and sporting a cracking smokers cough so it's clearly not healthy.

The long term health effects from vaping are only just coming to light really, and won't be fully apparent for some time. It's naive to think there won't be any though, which is why I can't believe they were allowed to infiltrate the market unregulated in the way they were.

What we know so far about health effects:

post.parliament.uk/health-effects-of-vape-device-components/?utm_source=POST+alerts&utm_campaign=b2e3cff355-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_30_09_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bf17dda729-b2e3cff355-449394598&mc_cid=b2e3cff355&mc_eid=256d62b7d0

I cant say i ever thought in the first place it was a fantastic idea it had disaster written all over if and I cant belepeople with so little brain cells even go near it

It is a choice and a terrible one and I am sick of everyone else having to pick up the pieces becase people cant think

Huge proportions of school children are addicted to nicotine and taking in the equivalent of 20 a day. They would never be able to take in that much in cigarette form.

Anecdotally, it seems to be a particularly British problem. Every time I travel to another country it's really noticeable that hardly anyone vapes. (Although if you go to California the smell of weed is absolutely everywhere.)

As someone who's never smoked or vaped I much preferred being a passive smoker to being a passive vaper. Why is it that all vapes have to smell so sickly?

Yes I believe vaping is worse. I am a teacher and years ago there were many kids smoking in the corner of the playground. That started to die out as the cost became too much. There is far more vaping amongst my pupils now than there ever was smoking. I have had pupils vape in class which never happened with cigarettes. The favours, the comparative inexpense of a vape, and the fancy names and packets make it attractive. I know someone who started vaping to quit smoking but now does both 🙈

Ex smoker turned vaper here. Vaping was a disaster for me as I work from home so could have it in my hand all the time.

The biggest con the world has been led to believe is that it’s impossibly hard to quit nicotine. It really isn’t. It helps the nicotine industry for people to believe it’s so hard, though.

Allen Carr saw through the BS. Worked for me and millions of others.

I think in years to come we’ll see similar health issues to smoking. Vapes are puffing god knows what into young lungs! They should have been a prescription/ pharmacy item for stopping smoking like nicotine patches!!

I used to smoke 40 roll ups a day. I was spending a small fortune and about 5yrs ago decided to try vaping to get me off the cigarettes. It worked and I haven't gone back and I feel healthy again. I did have asthma and I had regular chest infections as a smoker, but now I don't even need an asthma inhaler.

However, I am totally addicted to vaping now. I travel to France on the Eurostar quite frequently, and those hours spent not having a puff are incredibly difficult.

I agree also the electronic dab pens with weed in. Kids can now sneak them into toilets and be stoned at school. Whereas it wouldn't have happened with a joint. Vapes and dab pens are too easy.
But where there is money to be made. It will be too difficult to put the genie back in the bottle now.

They should have been prescribed as an aid to giving up smoking. I can’t believe how it’s become the new trend for a whole new generation. Ticking time bomb as far as future lung issues are concerned in my opinion

YANBU. It’s almost as if the big Tobacco companies founded or bought up the vape companies and then blackmailed or bribed the Government into letting them openly and shamelessly market their shite to young teenagers with all the TikTok videos of kids blowing smoke patterns and funky flavours.

Hang on…

They are fucking cunts the lot of them and we will see the adverse health effects in a few years from this.

The Government should be sued for allowing this to happen. I have no problem with older adult smokers using vapes as an alternative to the fags but I cringe when I see teenagers who’ve never smoked in their lives vaping. I’ve been at events where people have sat with a vape in their hands for 8 hours puffing away and then at 30 min-1 hour intervals have also gone out to have a fag. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I hate to think of the lung, throat and mouth cancer rates in 20 years time.

As a non smoker l’d rather smell tobacco than some of these stinky vapes too. 🤮

Agreed. The shops are a blight on the high street, the habit is really embarrassing and gross (I don’t want to walk into a cloud of someone else’s bubblegum scented bacteria) and you’re absolutely right, people who never smoked are vaping now instead. Of course it’s better for your health than cigarettes but it still isn’t great.

It's an end to end disaster.

i get that when it was first introduced it seemed like a fantastic idea

but anyone that believed that would believe anything.

My niece has been vaping since she was 12 she is still only 16. No one can convince me she isn’t going to have issues with still growing lungs from this time. She was also buying dodgy vapes from dodgy shops. God knows what’s in them. The flavours and disposables were defo the attractions to kids.

The long term evidence will catch up. Sure maybe a good thing for some for stopping smoking. But so many people only vape and vape constantly ( much more than having a cigarette) and i’m not sure some people realise how much nicotine they are consuming if they use those ones. It’s going to be health issue down the line. Some already are finding out.

The nicotine concentration is much, much higher in vapes that in cigarettes - they are very addictive.

6 million vapes and pods thrown away each week in the UK.

It's a massive waste issue.

I have a family member who has never smoked, but is now addicted to vapes. I've asked her several times why she started and she doesn't have an answer.

She often says how lovely the flavours are, and I once said if you only vape for the flavour surely you can buy sweets that taste similar. Her response, why would I do that sweets are bad for you.

A vape shop opened a couple of doors away from where I live. It's open 24/7. I sleep badly so I've been up at 3 and 4 am and there are still people calling into the shop at that time. I suspect they're buying something other than vapes. There's much more litter around as people just rip off and drop the packaging as they come out of the shop.

Wine and alcohol on prescription next, then sugar, then doughnuts, then butter, then upfs, then caffeine, then oh hell, let's ban everything in life that is legal now.

Some people can't help themselves. They must have gone through so many strings of pearls from clutching them at this stage. 😊

As a vaper I agree. I vape far more than I smoked.

It's awful. In Australia we banned them. Thousands of tobacco stores popped up selling illegal vapes from under the counter like lollies. This meant anyone - including DS's 13 year old friend, could get them easily. At my god daughter's engagement party everyone in their early 20's would disappear every 30 mins or so to vape. It was horrible. I thought we'd moved past smoking as being cool. Openly smoking illegal vapes!

It's taken a couple of years for the law to catch up & raid/shut the shops down. Cue panicked addicts on FB desperately asking where to get their fix. Now they deliver instead, but that makes it difficult for kids to get them & I rarely see then now. The adults have all gone back to illegal ciggies instead....

They are getting taxed like cigarettes from October which should have an impact.

Oh for goodness sake!

Eleven years and counting for this disinformational turd to flush.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5186847-myth-about-vapes?reply=139035269