What Are The Pros And Cons Of Vaping?

Are you thinking about vaping instead of smoking? You might be asking yourself a lot of questions, like:

• Is it better to smoke or vape?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of nicotine vaping products (NVPs)?
• Are all vapes the same?

You shouldn’t have to read a lengthy essay or wade through endless articles to grasp the pros and cons of vaping versus smoking. 

So, let’s get straight to the point.

Distinguishing Between Legal and Illegal Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs)

First off, you need to know that there’s a huge difference between legal and illegal nicotine vaping products.

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You’ve probably seen the news about the rise in vaping among Australia’s youth, even in kids as young as 5.

There have also been significant crackdowns on illegal vapes being sold at local convenience stores, which have been offering them without regard for safety.

What you might not have heard much about is the availability of trusted, legal pharmacy options. These vapes are available specifically for adult smokers who are serious about quitting.

Pharmacy-sold NVPs are made with strict pharmaceutical standards. They’re tested for safety, assessed for inhalation risks, locally insured, and designed specifically to help you quit smoking. 

Unlike the black-market versions, you can trust that what you’re inhaling is safe, backed by ongoing medical support, and effective.

NVPs have proven to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The latest Cochrane Review showed that NVPs offer high-certainty evidence of success in helping people stop smoking.

Pros and Cons of Illegal Vaping

Cons

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

There’s simply no way to verify where they’re manufactured or what practises these overseas suppliers adopt to ensure the safety of their products. At a wholesale cost of as little as $1, it’s not great.

Worryingly, they purposefully use colourful packaging and exciting flavours to make their products as attractive to children as possible, with a focus on keeping this new generation of nicotine addicts hooked to these dangerous products for as long as possible.

If you’re vaping without a GP’s prescription, you’re using an illegal NVP and exposing yourself to preventable dangers. There’s also a high risk you might vape and smoke at the same time.

Pros

There are no pros to illicit vaping. It’s illegal, and it’s also going to harm your health.

Pros and Cons of Legal Vaping 

Pros

Wondering if there are any positives to vaping legally? There are a lot, such as not introducing 250 dangerous chemicals (including 69 carcinogens) into your body with every puff of a cigarette.

Furthermore, pharmacy-sold nicotine vaping products ensure you have a smoking cessation aid that mimics and helps reform the habits you’ve developed with cigarettes. 

Do you feel like holding a cigarette and puffing while having a coffee in the morning? Exchange your cigarette with a pharmacy NVP. Over time, you’ll get used to puffing on your pharmacy vape rather than craving a cigarette.

Here are some other advantages of legal vaping:

• Made to pharmaceutical standards: Unlike illicit vapes, medical vaping products available in pharmacies are provided exclusively by Australian-registered suppliers, and are manufactured in GMP- and ISO-certified facilities, just like other medicines.
• Tested for inhalation safety: The vapes you will find in a pharmacy have undergone extensive testing and analysis to ensure they are suitable for human use. They’ve undergone compound identification and toxicological assessments for inhalation.
• Locally insured: Medical vaping products comply with all of the requirements to be supplied by medical wholesalers to registered pharmacies and are covered by local product liability insurance. 
• Medically supported: Medical vaping products are quickly gaining support from the local medical community, from your prescribing GP to your local pharmacist.

Cons

NVPs from pharmacies can only be prescribed by GPs as a second-line tool. If you’ve never tried to quit using a first-line treatment such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), then you may not be eligible for NVPs.

So, Is It Better To Smoke Or Vape?

Choosing pharmacy vapes over smoking will expose you to far fewer chemicals and toxins and give you control of your nicotine intake with a similar feel. But vaping is only effective if you’re going through a smoking cessation programme with trusted products.

Ultimately, the healthiest option is to stop smoking and get a GP’s help. Pharmacy-sold NVPs can only be used as part of a smoking cessation program. They are not designed to be used long-term, and your vaping use must be closely monitored by a healthcare professional. 

No more smoke and mirrors. Now that you understand the pros and cons of vaping, you’re equipped to make an informed decision about your health. 

We know you’re reading this post because you’re eager to understand the pros and cons of legal vaping. We hope we helped you with this information.

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.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective
• https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/e-cigarette-ads-target-millions-kids-cdc-says-n490601