To think vapes need consigning to the history books?

[GoldAndSilverBells]

As above.

They are ridiculous things that add massively to landfill, and after this disastrous fire in Glasgow it's been proven how dangerous they are!

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16014837/glasgow-vape-shop-blaze-tears-through-iconic-city-centre/

The original point of them was to help people give up smoking. The idea was that you use vapes for a few months, lessening the nicotine in them every few weeks, until your cravings have subsided.

People start vaping now just for the hell of it. Including teenagers, because they have them in sweet and appealing flavours!

Time to stop making these things!

I was a smoker from probably 2000ish until 2014, I was more of a social smoker and could stop and start easy enough. Once the smoking ban came in I became pretty much a seasonal smoker as no way was I standing in the rain and cold for a fag. I then stopped for several years until probably 2022 ish when I tried w vape on a night out. From there I vaped all the time, it curbed my appetite and as it didn’t leave a lingering smell I would vape everywhere; house, car etc. My kids started being more aware and I started to feel really embarrassed by it but it took a bout of Covid for me to stop. I felt so ill for days and had tightness in my chest so the last thing I wanted was to vape. As if made it through nearly a week I decided to keep going and I’m now approaching 6 months vape free. So glad to be off them.

I know a few people who have never smoked but taken up vaping. How mad is that?
Many of these shops are fronts for money laundering like the barbers and the nail salons. Its about time the authorities cleared them all out

I’m an ex smoker, now I vape. I have had the same vape for over a year and buy refill juice. I feel 100% healthier than I did when I smoked, I’ve not had a cold or a cough for a year. I’m not adding to landfill, the bottles are recyclable.

BUT… I think anything remotely disposable should be banned, I think the sale of them should be age restricted to 21/25+, I think all the stupid flavours should be outlawed immediately (can’t buy a menthol cig but can buy doughnut or Bavarian slice flavour vapes!) and I think all the tacky shops should be closed down. They’re ruining high streets for starters, many of them are covers for money laundering and loads sell cheap dangerous knock offs.

They are a scourge on society but at the same time have definitely helped me and others who were addicted to smoking. The problem is the sheer amount of the shops and their target audience ie kids. Outlaw all the hideous drinks and American style sweets that these shops sell, too.

I just have to look at vapers and get an immediate ick. Everything about the things is grim, the smell, how they look, the cloud of vile sickly fumes. Gross.

Obviously for those using them as a means to quit smoking they’re a great temporary tool, better than smoking just don’t get addicted to them.

They are disgusting things, why do humans need to suck on these things, feel same way about cigarettes. Its weird when you think about it.

I feel like the people who used them to stop smoking have sacrificed a whole generation that would have never vaped.

I didn’t smoke or vape born in 92, but the generation below me are vaping. They wouldn’t have smoked or vaped if these things didn’t exist.

I think those old school smokers that want to quit need to do it a different way.

What do you mean by toxic?

Or make them available on prescription as a treatment for smoking addicition / harm reduction, rather than available in shops regardless of age restriction. And I say that as someone who vapes.

They are like dummies for adults. Get rid.

Mumsnet’s answer to everything: ban this, ban that.

I don’t like vapes, or the litter that goes with them (bins are covered in those little labels “remove to use”: it took me a while to work out they come from vapes), but I do think vapes are the lesser of two evils, compared with smoking.

Only around half of people who vape are former smokers though.

Exactly. Why people believe that steaming chemicals into the lungs is any safer than smoking them is beyond me. I'm a very heavy smoker and I'm constantly being told I should vape instead. Er no thanks. At least with cigarettes I know what could happen, vapes are even worse I think and it's awful that people who have never smoked in their lives decide to vape. As many pp have said teenagers especially

Exactly! Quite a number of people on this thread are COMPLETELY missing the point!!!

I am not on about people using vapes to wean themselves off the cigarettes. I'm on about people who just start using vapes for no reason.

And all that article someone put a link to earlier has proven is that vaping is meant to help you stop smoking. (Just as I said.) NOWHERE in that article does it say it's OK to vape long term and carry on with it! As I said, no-one knows the long term effects of these things. Why start using them, when you have never smoked?

And as you said, it's already been proven that many vapes have much higher levels of nicotine and toxins than actual cigarettes!

As I said, they were created to help you give up smoking. They were NEVER meant to be puffed away at indefinitely.

And no, I wouldn't rather people smoked actual cigarettes (as one poster asked!) 🙄 How about using neither vapes or cigarettes! Ever.

And yes, as a pp said, there is evidence that these are quite dangerous and flammable! And they do cause way more fires than mobile phones (that have the same sort of battery in them,) despite a poster making that comparison earlier on!

Easy to spot the perma vapers on this thread! 😬

I agree with the poster who said, they should available on prescription only, for people trying to quit smoking. They should NOT be for sale to the public. And even then, the 'patient' should only be given them for 6 to 8 months - 12 at the most.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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?

Actually most places don't allow vaping now.

”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.