Is Vaping Worse Than Smoking?

Vaping is often seen as even worse than smoking these days. This viewpoint has been influenced by recent negative media coverage and the careless way vaping products are being sold by illegal sellers.

It’s not just smokers who are getting hold of these products—non-smokers, teenagers, and even children as young as 5 are also being targeted.

But Is It, Really?

Nicotine vaping products (NVPs) were initially created as a legal aid for quitting smoking. 

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They were meant to help dedicated smokers manage their cravings by giving them something to puff on when withdrawal symptoms became too intense.

However, vapes have developed a bad reputation.

This shift happened when opportunistic businesses started pushing single-use, disposable vaping products, claiming they were a ‘completely safe’ alternative to smoking.

With enticing flavours and bright, eye-catching colours, these products attracted people who didn’t even smoke. 

This surge in popularity led to a spike in sales and profits, but also to a flood of potentially hazardous products hitting the streets. Shockingly, these are now available to anyone with $35, including children.

In this article, we’ll explore whether vaping is truly worse than smoking, or if it all comes down to where you buy your products from.

You might be wondering whether vaping is more harmful than smoking. 

If you’re getting your vapes from illegal sources, they can be just as bad, or even worse, than smoking. The problem is you simply don’t know what’s in these black-market products.

To ensure you’re using a safe product, make sure to buy nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from pharmacies with a GP’s prescription. These NVPs are:

• Made to rigorous pharmaceutical standards in terms of manufacturing and ingredients

• Tested for safety when inhaled

• Locally insured

• Specifically designed to aid in quitting smoking

So, for a safer option, always go through legitimate channels.

How Does Vaping Work?

Vaping works by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol. This aerosol delivers nicotine without creating smoke.

Pharmacy-approved vapes might look similar to some of the dodgy products you come across. However, that’s where the similarities end, so it’s important to be cautious.

More About Illegal and Pharmacy NVPs

People using illegal vaping products face risks comparable to smoking cigarettes. 

Let’s dive into the details of illegal NVPs and how they differ from those bought from pharmacies.

Illicit NVPs

Illicit NVPs (such as those in convenience stores and tobacconists) are imported under the radar, just like illicit tobacco and drugs, and are made as cheaply as possible for maximum profits. 

They are imported by criminal groups with zero regard for the safety of their customers. They are purchased wholesale by your local convenience store and tobacconist for as little as $1, and passed on to non-smokers, teens and children at a 3,400% mark-up.

The biggest danger of illicit NVPs is you don’t know what you’re inhaling. Lab tests have shown that these products can contain metals that are dangerous to the body. Furthermore, they’ve been proven to contain as much as 357mg of nicotine in a single vape.

They’re cheaper than NVPs you can buy from pharmacies, but this saving comes at the cost of your health and safety. 

For something going into your sensitive lungs up to 200 times a day, it’s best not to cheap out.

Pharmacy NVPs

NVPs you can buy from pharmacies are the most trusted and responsible vaping products you can find anywhere. They’re made purely with your health and smoking cessation in mind and can only be bought if you’re under a smoking cessation programme and a GP has prescribed it to you.

They are supplied, trusted and audited by the same pharmaceutical wholesalers who distribute all other medicines, so you can rest assured that what you’re inhaling is up to a standard you would expect from anything else behind the counter at your local pharmacy.

Feel free to pop in and have a chat about these with your pharmacist.

Vaping Vs. Smoking

Cigarette smoke has over 7,000 chemicals, with 69 of them known to be carcinogenic. 

With illicit NVPs, millions of these untested products are flooding the market (and many of these are counterfeits), so it’s 100% impossible to know what’s actually in it, and if it’s going to cause even worse health issues for you.

But with pharmacy NVPs, you have a responsibly manufactured and heavily tested product that health experts trust.

Both pharmacy NVPs and cigarettes contain nicotine, but pharmacy NVPs don’t produce the smoke containing 69 carcinogens. Furthermore, they’re made purely for smoking cessation – manufacturers of cigarettes and illegal vapes don’t want you to quit.

With pharmacy NVPs, you’re using a smokeless product that helps you with your nicotine withdrawals in a way that NRT (like patches, gums and sprays) can’t. 

You can just give it a puff when cravings strike, such as with your morning coffee or while having a drink with friends – triggers that are all too familiar for most smokers.

Why You Should Use Pharmacy NVPs Under a Smoking Cessation Programme

Nicotine is an addictive substance that’s hard to shake off. Without proper guidance and focus to quit, it’s likely you can end up dual-using (continue smoking while vaping), staying addicted to NVPs long term, or even relapse back to cigarettes at the first stumble.

In a smoking cessation programme, a GP can oversee your use of pharmacy NVPs all the way to fresh air, when you’re ready for that. If you’ve tried and failed using first-line treatments in the past (such as patches, gums and sprays), they can prescribe NVPs from pharmacies to manage your cravings. 

The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.

Summary

Illegal NVPs may contain just as many dangerous chemicals as cigarette smoke, and due to the criminal element in charge of this supply, you simply don’t know what’s going into your lungs.

With pharmacy NVPs, you have a vaping product designed to help you quit, manufactured to the highest standards possible, and trusted and supplied by Australia’s medical industry.

We know you’re reading this because you want to know if vaping is worse than smoking. We hope you found this information useful – you can find plenty more trustworthy information here.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/aussie-kindergarteners-caught-in-vaping-trend-principal-claims/news-story/ee3b6b89457c9e6e089b535abe89170b
• https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65614078
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zb37/we-got-your-vapes-tested-in-a-lab-heres-what-we-found
• http://cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective