How Much Nicotine Is In My...?
In recent years, we’ve seen a huge shift from cigarettes and cigars to other forms of nicotine delivery, such as e-cigs, vape mods, Juul pods, and nicotine salts. But just how much nicotine is in cigarettes compared to vaping? Vape juice, nic salts, and Juul pods all have the amount of nicotine listed on the packaging, but it remains unclear just exactly how much nicotine is in a pack of cigs or even a single cigarette. This becomes even more of a confusing issue if you’re wanting to switch to other forms of nicotine delivery systems but are unsure on what level to start on. In our previous articles, we’ve discussed how much nicotine is in a vape , what nicotine salts are , and what level you should start on depending on how many cigarettes you use a day. In this article, we’ll try to delve into the deep rooted question of how much nicotine is in a cigarette and how you can use that to determine which form of nicotine delivery system is right for you.
HOW MUCH NICOTINE IS IN MY CIGARETTES?
The nicotine content in cigarettes is tricky if not impossible to define. Why? Because each brand has their own amount of nicotine. Some research has found that one brand had over 20mg of nicotine per cigarette, while another one only had 8mg. To average it out, we’ll say that each cigarette has an average nicotine content of about 12-14mg. Multiply that by how many cigarettes you consume in a given day and you’ll get a general idea of how much nicotine you consume a day. And that’s not even taking into consideration all of the other dangerous elements found in cigarettes.
Cigarettes have been popular for many years and it’s taken quite a bit of advertising and studies to show just how much nicotine, tar, and carcinogens are in each one. In fact, in the early 1930s, doctors actually recommended the consumption of cigarettes as a way to boost your health. Children, young adults, and elderly adults were urged to smoke a cigarette a day until the beginning of the 1960s, when the dangers of cigarettes were just starting to be discovered. Cigarettes were found to be extremely addicting because of the nicotine content in them and in recent years we’ve discovered the health issues that come with cigarettes. If you’re looking to switch from cigarettes to vaping, there are ways to figure out which type of nicotine delivery is right for you.
HOW MUCH NICOTINE IS IN MY VAPE JUICE?
Bottles of vape juice are clearly marked to show the level of nicotine in your vape juice. What you may not realize is what those numbers mean. 0mg is obviously an easy one, but 3mg and 6mg of nicotine might be confusing. This brings up several concerning questions. Does that mean 3mg of nicotine in the entire bottle, even if the bottle size is 60mL or 120mL? How much nicotine am I consuming in a single puff? How many cigarettes equal to one puff and vice versa? Let’s tackle the first question: how much nicotine is in a single vape bottle?
In order to figure out the amount of nicotine in your entire bottle, we’ll use a simple math equation: milligrams of nicotine multiplied by the milliliter capacity of that bottle equals the total amount of nicotine in that bottle. For example, a 100mL bottle that has a stated number of 3mg means that there is 3mg of nicotine per milliliter (3mg x 100mL) for a total of 300mg of nicotine in that bottle.
The second and third question “How much nicotine am I consuming in a single puff?” and “How many cigarettes equal to one puff and vice versa?” are impossible to answer specifically. The answer to both questions varies largely due to how deep of a hit you take, which device you use, and how high of a wattage you’re at. But for explanation purposes, a single milliliter can give you about 100 hits on a Logic type of device. If you’re using a sub-ohm tank, that same single milliliter will give you significantly less hits because you’re using quite a bit more e-juice per puff, resulting in larger clouds and strong flavor. There’s no exact science to figure out the specific amount of nicotine you’re using. However, many devices come with puff counters on the screen. If you use the same e-liquid for every fill-up until the bottle is empty, you can divide the number of puffs you’ve taken by the amount of nicotine in your bottle to figure out how much nicotine was in your average puff. But if you’re like me and constantly swap out your vape flavors when your tank is empty, this could be a difficult and time-consuming project that’s simply way too much work.
HOW MUCH NICOTINE IS IN MY NIC-SALT E-JUICE?
Nic-salt e-juice usually comes in small 30mL bottles but have a higher concentration of nicotine per milliliter (i.e. 35mg, 50mg). The same trick applies to figuring out how much nicotine is in a bottle of nic salts: 35mg x 30mL = 1050mg of nicotine per bottle. This is why nicotine salts are recommended for heavy smokers who smoke multiple times a day. Despite being higher in nicotine, nic-salts aren’t as addicting as free-base nicotine vape juice for two reasons: 1) Nic salts aren’t as volatile are and are much more chemically stable than regular vape juice and 2) Nic salts ions have a difficult time reaching your body’s nicotine receptors and also require a higher temperature to vaporize. Nicotine salts generally vaporize in half the concentration as the same amount of regular vape juice (also called freebase nicotine).
CONCLUSION
Hopefully this article has helped break down the amounts of nicotine in various forms of nicotine delivery. New discoveries are being made every day, just like back in 1960 when they discovered that doctors were wrong in advising people to smoke a cigarette a day. Science is fascinating in that it’s constantly evolving and providing new information. If any of the information in this article is incorrect or confusing to figure out, let us know in the comments below! If you need help on choosing the correct nicotine level for your needs and you’d like some help in figuring out what works for you, you can always reach out to us via phone, email, or drop a comment and we’ll answer your questions quickly to make sure you’re using the right product. Happy vaping my friends, and good luck on your travels through the wonderful world of vaping!