Is Vaping A Gateway For Smoking?

Since vaping has gained immense popularity over the past few years, one of the most common arguments that has risen against the practice is that it will increase the amount of young smokers, acting as a gateway. However, there is good evidence and emerging studies that confirm this is not true. In fact, vaping has been reported to reduce the rate of smoking in youth. 

As vaping is considered to be generally safer than smoking traditional cigarettes, the gateway-view can have very negative results on a good harm reduction strategy. Keep educating yourself about how vaping ties into the gateway theory and its importance in harm reduction strategies.

Vaping Reduces Smoking: Scientific Evidence

While many opponents of vaping enjoy trying to justify their dislike for the practice, scientific evidence shows that vaping leads to an overall reduction in smoking in young people. These findings are meant to alleviate the concern of vaping being a gateway for smoking. There are five main scientific points of evidence that prove vaping is not a gateway for smoking, including:

• Shared risk factors for vaping and smoking
• An accelerated decline in the amount of young smokers
• Vaping diverts youth from smoking
• Vaping restrictions increase smoking rates
• Vaping before smoking reduces smoking uptake

Shared Risk Factors For Vaping And Smoking

Youth who try vaping are three times more likely to try smoking as well since they share similar risk factors that lead to both behaviours. However, there is no causation between vaping and smoking here. 

Youth are more likely to engage in vaping and smoking behaviour if they have friends or parents who vape/smoke, have a mental illness, come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and have lower education levels. Teenagers who engage in vaping are also more likely to take other risks, like smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, driving under the influence, and having unsafe sex. It is fair to say that vaping does not lead to these behaviours either.

Although there are some young people who start out vaping that might go on to try smoking cigarettes, studies report that far more move in the opposite direction. More young smokers make the switch to the safer alternative of vaping. Therefore, the relationship between vaping and smoking can be explained by shared risk factors.

An Accelerated Decline In The Amount Of Young Smokers

While the gateway theory suggests that vaping will lead to an increase in smoking rates among young people, studies are showing the opposite is true. In countries where vaping products are widely available, like the UK, US, and New Zealand, there has been a large decline in youth smoking rates. For example, since vaping gained popularity in the US in 2013, smoking rates among high schoolers fell from 10% to 1.9%.

Vaping Diverts Youth From Smoking

Many studies have concluded that vaping is a substitute for smoking cigarettes, and that vaping plays a key role in diverting the youth away from smoking. This has been demonstrated in both population and modelling studies. 

Vaping Restrictions Increase Smoking Rates

Some natural experiments have found that smoking rates among the youth have increased when vaping access is restricted. This is true for:

• Raised prices and increased taxations
• Vaping bans
• Increased age of sale restrictions

Vaping Before Smoking Reduces Smoking Uptake

Evidence showing that teenagers who vape before they smoke are much less likely to smoke later on when compared to those who smoke first continues to emerge. Other studies find no evidence that links vaping to an increase in smoking rates in the first place.

The Role Of Vaping In Harm Reduction Strategies

While many smokers might strive for total abstinence from nicotine, this goal is not always a possibility for everyone. Vaping has proven to be nearly twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), like nicotine patches and gum. 

While removing all the harmful by-products of combustion, vaping allows users to satisfy their nicotine cravings while adjusting their dose as they go. You will get the same hand-to-mouth action and a throat hit, along with an immediate risk reduction.

Tips To Quit Smoking And Start Vaping

• Pick the right device/kit: Do some research and browse for options that might work best for those who are used to smoking cigarettes. Devices that accommodate ex-smokers well are usually MTL kits with a tight draw. Ask your local vape store for more help if necessary.

• Make use of different e-liquid strengths: Once you make the switch, you will likely start off by using nic salts or another high strength e-liquid. As you start to get used to vaping and are ready to lower your nicotine consumption, you can simply switch to an e-liquid with a lower nicotine strength. You can follow these recommendations for nicotine levels with MTL devices when making the switch:

• <5 cigarettes a day – 3 mg nicotine
• 5-10 cigarettes a day – 6 mg nicotine
• 10-20 cigarettes a day – 12 mg nicotine
• 20+ cigarettes a day – 18 mg nicotine

• Use your vape as much as necessary: Use your vape as much as you need to keep your cravings under control and minimise any withdrawal symptoms. Do not worry if you vape more than you used to smoke – as long as you do not reach for a cigarette, you are doing less harm.

• Try extra support: If you do find that vaping does not seem to satisfy your cravings sufficiently, you can use nicotine patches along with your vape for extra support. Nicotine patches provide ongoing support and relief by releasing nicotine slowly to keep your levels up, which you can top up with your vape when immediate cravings strike.

The gateway theory encourages negative attitudes towards and harsh restrictions on vaping, impacting those who have quit smoking for vaping or those who are considering the switch. Due to the positive impact vaping has proven to have in terms of smoking cessation and harm reduction, including the fact that it is less harmful than smoking and twice as effective as other harm reduction strategies, vaping products should be readily available as an aid for quitting smoking. If you are ready to make the healthy choice, make sure that you choose the right device and e-liquids, and that you use your vape as much as necessary to keep away your cravings.