Disposable vapes popular among young people: "I like it better than cigarettes"

You have them in the flavors mango milk ice, cream tobacco, strawberry kiwi and much more: the disposable vape. Although there are no recent figures, the enthusiasm for the electronic disposable cigarette among young people seems to be increasing considerably.

“It is already the case among young people that e-cigarettes are used more than regular cigarettes,” says Thomas Martinelli of the Institute for Research on Lifestyles & Addictions (IVO). Indeed, many young people come out when we stand in front of a vape shop on the Haarlemmerstraat. “I was on vacation and there were a lot of people using it,” says a girl who just bought two new flavors. “I used to smoke cigarettes and now I’m doing this. I don’t know if I’m going back yet, but I’ll see.”

No more flavors

To discourage use among young people, the government wants e-cigarettes, which you can only buy if you are over 18, from 1 January 2023 to taste only like tobacco. That could well have an effect, Martinelli thinks. “I expect that to reduce use, because the taste is indeed something that makes the e-cigarette attractive.” A guy who vapes himself agrees. “I would be less likely to use it if it didn’t have any flavor to it. That flavor really adds something.”

The question remains: how unhealthy are those vapes really? They contain less nicotine than real cigarettes, that is well known.e liquid store mr-joy.com for more information. They haven’t been around long enough for research into long-term effects, Martinelli says. “But there are indications that there are risks associated with e-cigarettes. I say: if you want to have a healthy lifestyle, it is better not to use e-cigarettes. That is of course a different story for smokers, because it’s much less harmful.”