People who are undecided about vaping tend to ask the same handful of things. Below are six of those questions with plain answers: what e-liquid contains, what was behind the lung illness outbreak, whether vaping is habit-forming, what nicotine does to the body, where the FDA stands, and why underage use has driven so many of the rules. Two points apply throughout. Much about the long-term effects of vaping is still unknown, and anyone who does not already smoke should not take up vaping.
What is in vape juice, and how does it compare with cigarettes?
E-liquid has four components: vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, flavoring and nicotine. The nicotine comes from tobacco and is sold in several strengths, with 6mg, 3mg and 0mg being the ones most people buy. A cigarette, by contrast, comes in a single strength, and even that figure is not precise. A vape device heats the liquid until it turns into an aerosol, commonly called vapor, which is what you inhale.
As for what vaping does to the body over time, the honest answer is that nobody knows yet. Research on long-term effects is thin, and breathing in vapor does expose you to chemicals. Cigarette smoke, including secondhand smoke, is known to affect almost every organ, the lungs, brain and heart among them.
Is nicotine as bad as people say?
Nicotine is addictive in any amount, large or small. It is also the reason withdrawal shows up as crankiness, headaches and similar symptoms when cravings go unanswered. It raises blood pressure and pushes up adrenaline, and a faster heart rate follows. Together those effects increase the chance of a heart attack, particularly for someone with an underlying health condition.
One practical difference between the two products is labeling. The nicotine in a cigarette varies widely from brand to brand, while a bottle of e-liquid prints its strength on the package, so you know what you are choosing. Wattage matters too, because a higher setting can make the hit feel stronger. People who have asthma now, or had it in the past, need to be especially careful, since both vapor and cigarette smoke can trigger certain types of it. Using cigarettes and a vape side by side is not something we recommend.
Can you get addicted to e-cigs?
Yes. Almost anything used every day can become a habit, and Americans manage it with sugar, alcohol and plenty else. If you know you get hooked on things easily, our best advice is simply not to start.
E-liquid is sold at many nicotine levels, from 0mg upward. Nic salt e-liquids sit at the top of that range, going as high as 50mg, and were formulated with heavy smokers in mind, for people who want a deep nicotine hit. Some vapers stay with nicotine-free juice purely because they like the flavor and the clouds.
What about the people who got sick from vaping?
There was an outbreak of lung illness tied to vaping, and at the time it prompted talk of shutting down e-cigs, e-liquid and everything related. We covered the bans that followed in this article. Vapers argued that something else was responsible, and that turned out to be right: the people affected had been putting THC products in their devices. Those additives mostly came from the black market and were thickened with Vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E causes no problem in food or in prescribed medicine, but inhaled it makes breathing difficult and can permanently damage the lungs, a condition named EVALI.
The lesson is straightforward. Do not vape THC, least of all when it comes from informal sources such as friends, family or unlicensed dealers. Do not modify a device, and do not add unregulated substances to your e-liquid.
Are e-cigs FDA approved?
No. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigarettes as a device for giving up cigarettes, and it has not confirmed a reason. One possibility is that many people end up using both products together instead of replacing one with the other. Vape pens, box mods with tanks and nic-salt pods all produce an aerosol, which makes them feel much like a cigarette and easy to fold into an existing smoking routine. Nicotine gum, patches and creams work differently, delivering nicotine without anything being inhaled.
A vape and a cigarette both deliver nicotine. What vaping does to health over the long run is still being studied, so treat it as an open question, not a settled one.
What about the kids?
E-cig use among high school students climbed steeply, and a large share of those students had never smoked a traditional tobacco product. Several things drove that. Flavored e-liquids arrived, and vapor lacks the harsh smell and tar of cigarette smoke. Many teens assumed that because smoking is bad, vaping must not be. And devices were easy to pick up at gas stations and convenience stores around the country, often for a good deal less than cigarettes cost.
That is frustrating for adult vapers who respect the strict age checks at vape shops and online stores, because underage use is what the public debate ends up being about. There is no tidy fix. States have struggled to find a balance, and cities within the same state sometimes disagree. Some states banned the sale of flavored e-liquids other than tobacco and menthol. Others allow only certified shops to stock vaping products, usually with a steep state tax on top. The minimum age to buy vape products was raised to 21 to make it harder for teens and young adults to get them.
Where that leaves you
The laws can feel inconvenient, but they followed a large rise in vaping alongside a sharp fall in cigarette sales. A lot of speculation circulates about vaping, in both directions, and the research on what is inhaled and what it does over many years is not finished. Working out the real pros and cons will take time. Until then, the plain facts are these: nicotine is addictive, vape products are for adults of legal age, and if you do not use nicotine now, you should not start.