**TL;DR Although nicotine e-cigarettes and vapes were originally created as an aid to help people reduce or even give up smoking, it is instead creating new addicts in younger age groups and acting as a dangerous gateway to heavy smoking habits.** The appeal of the sweet flavours of e-cigarettes makes them easily marketable to a younger audience more-so than normal nicotine cigarettes usually do. Although e-cigs are safer than normal cigarettes, only carrying ‘a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes’ and are beneficial for those who want to smoke less - they are a cruel enabler for a new generation who go onto smoking cigarettes and suffer health problems after becoming addicted to nicotine through vapes and other nicotine e-cigarettes. [1] Studies show that vapes and other e-cigs have introduced a greater culture of smoking onto teenagers. More than one in four teens vape according to the *US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention* and a study published in the *New England Journal of Medicine* reported that 12% of 16 and 17-year-olds in America were already addicted to nicotine. [2] The addictions that e-cigarettes cause are likely to turn people onto using normal cigarettes, having the opposite intended effect of the product. A study in the UK for *BMJ Journals* concluded that the continued use of e-cigarettes in an individual is linked to an increased likelihood of initiation into cigarette use as the individual develops nicotine addiction (if the e-cigarettes contain nicotine) or develops friendship networks with smokers and decreasing the perceived risks of smoking. [3] The results of these studies suggest that e-cigarettes and vapes are enabling a new audience to try normal cigarettes and become addicted to them, which will in turn create new health risks in these people. [4] Because most e-cigarettes still contain nicotine (99% of e-cig products in the USA contain nicotine), which is the substance that people get addicted too in cigarettes as well, many move onto smoking tobacco after they use vapes. [5] Despite the benefit that e-cigarettes and vapes help heavy smokers to ease their habits, their overall creation of a whole new generation of nicotine-addicted youth is what makes them more bad than good. They should be replaced with other forms of ‘stop smoking’ aids, such as nicotine patches, so that people may continue to decrease their cigarette smoking but there is no new appeal to other groups of people to begin smoking. [1] ‘Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking’, (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/) [2] ‘The great vape debate: are e-cigarettes saving smokers or creating new addicts?’, (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/18/the-great-vape-debate-are-e-cigarettes-saving-smokers-or-creating-new-addicts) [3] ‘Do electronic cigarettes increase cigarette smoking in UK adolescents? Evidence from a 12-month prospective study’, (https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/27/4/365#T2) [4] ‘What are the health risks of smoking?’, (https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/lifestyle/what-are-the-health-risks-of-smoking/) [5] ‘Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults’, (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html)

**TL;DR - E-cigarettes can have a positive impact in the life of a regular smoker when used with the aim of quitting smoking**. There are some preconceived notions about e-cigarettes, and one of these is that e-cigarettes do more harm than good in creating a culture of addiction due to nicotine. In fact, Martin Dockrell refers to a government review (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/e-cigarettes-and-heated-tobacco-products-evidence-review) that shows 'nicotine actually carries minimal risk of harm to health'. According to the review, 'it is the thousands of other chemicals contained in cigarette smoke that causes almost all of the harm', and not nicotine per se. Therefore, although e-cigarettes contain nicotine, it is cigarettes that are more harmful. Switching to e-cigarettes can help minimise the risk of health problems that are related to the cigarette's harmful elements. It can also give the illusion of smoking without some of the higher risks of smoking, so for someone who is trying to quit, e-cigarettes offer a more viable solution than patches, etc.. I believe it is extremely tough to quit smoking, but e-cigarettes, 'when combined with expert face-to-face support', can help stop smoking addiction by giving you a 'smoking' experience while also helping you 'manage your nicotine cravings' (*NHS*). You can also control the nicotine levels in your e-cigarette, which also provides a helping hand for non-smoking. According to NHS, a 'major UK clinical trial published in 2019' discovered that 'people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products'. I therefore conclude that e-cigarettes can do some good for people who want to stop smoking. Works Cited 'E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products: evidence review' (2018) <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/e-cigarettes-and-heated-tobacco-products-evidence-review> [accessed 17 February 2021]. 'Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking' (2019) <https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/> [accessed 17 February 2021]. Dockrell, Martin, 'Clearing up some myths around e-cigarettes' (2018) <https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/> [accessed 17 February 2021].

**TLDR - E-Cigarettes are definitely not good, but when compared to smoking cigarettes, they are definitely the better option** There is definitely a problem in young people today who begin to vape and then move onto smoking, which of course is the opposite of what they were originally designed for. I have met quite a few 19-20 year olds who said they began vaping which then made them try smoking. Whereas I myself began smoking, switched to vaping after 3 years, and then a couple months later went back to smoking. So their effectiveness as a smoking aid is definitely questionable. However I know a lot of people it has helped. They started off with high nicotine vape juice to get a similar rush and throat feel as cigarettes, and then gradually tapered down until they were vaping the minimum amount. In this regard, vaping has quite literally been a lifesaver for these people. They needed to replace that habit of taking a drag with something similar, and vaping is really the only thing that closely mimics the feeling of cigarettes but with far less health risks. I do think that the way vaping is marketed has become a problem though. What began as a way to help people quit smoking has become an addiction and business model in its own right. From flashy packaging, to vape cafes, it's quite clear that the vaping industry is using the same tactics that the tobacco industry built its empire on. Perhaps there should be legislation regarding packaging and the removal of vape stores as social areas, as it reinforces the casual nature of something that obviously still does affect your health.