I think it's a lot safer than smoking, there's probably a lot safer methods, but vapings efficacy vs other quit methods is just too good to discard for even slight health risks vs smoking. Only Juul/Pax has a hidden Big Tobacco interest, the rest are either overt or companies that are dedicated to vapor only. Almost all the innovation came from outside Big Tobacco, but all that is coming to an end with FDA'S regulations of Vaping. No new products so I left, since I exclusively designed hardware.
Most vapor products can be used with eliquid that has varied levels of nicotine and most shops were (2012-2017) very active in promoting customers to reduce their nicotine level to 0, so addiction to the devices can be self regulated if that is your goal.
The US seems to be in the process of legalizing recreational weed, which is often consumed by inhaling plant smoke. Relative to that (or alcohol), I wouldn't worry too much about vaping nicotine. It doesn't appear to have any significant harmful effects other than being addictive (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Adverse_effects).
That being said, not chronically inhaling anything other than air is definitely the right way to go if you're taking long term health effects into consideration.
Yeah I'm sure inhaling weed smoke isn't healthy, but at least with weed, very few people inhale it as regularly as cigarette smokers do cigarette smoke.
What mean to say is, if you are a purveyor of nicotine products in a professional manner, probably best to not recommend nicotine containing products outside the context of smoking cessation.
Though this line of inquiry rapid segues in to a philosophical debate.
But is this because you think vaping is more dangerous than smoking?
Or because you think enabling a harmful activity, even if it's a less harmful than the activity it's being substituted for makes you morally culpable? So providing methadone would be a moral wrong?
Interestingly, one big manufacturer I worked with specifically avoided making their device a 'cessation aid' - something to help give up. You can think what you want about their motivation, but the explanation they gave is that if you are a cessation aid then you get into medical device territory and so hit a load of extra regulation.
Okay, didn't realize it was only Juul/Pax that had that hidden interest. I'm mainly in Eastern Europe these days and Philip Morris is pushing IQOS hard (I know it's in a different category but I think it eats at the same market share, younger more affluent health-conscious users who know cigs are bad but still want to smoke something)
You mention there probably being safer methods - any idea on them or where I should look for more info?
I've been researching tobacco, mainly taxation (which in theory is one of the most powerful ways to get people to quit things, by jacking up the prices) but I'm generally interested in the field, and it seems to me that a potentially even better methodology than making things too expensive for many to afford is to innovate and develop something that's just way healthier a replacement that gives consumers the same benefits.
Yes, Juul was bought for $4bn by ALCS which is the parent company behind Philip Morris USA, Marlboro and many other brands.
Philip Morris International (i.e. Europe) is technically a separate entity. They were separated out a while ago (probably to avoid anti-trust issues). In theory they share stuff with the US but the separation is why you're getting different products.
A bit off topic, but why hasn't the tech advanced too much in the RTA/RDTA area? I tried juul, but pods are just not for me, they produce too little vapour and feel awkward to use.
I've been using Creed and Zeus atomizers since I started and they are really low tech with lots of issues, they leak juice, the airflow is not ideal, sometimes they burn the coils too quickly, no one knows what the ideal wick size or thickness is and so on. I sometimes wonder, if the potential market for vaping is so huge, why are there no better products with better designs? I feel like there's a lot of simple/easy fixed to improve them.
Most vapor products can be used with eliquid that has varied levels of nicotine and most shops were (2012-2017) very active in promoting customers to reduce their nicotine level to 0, so addiction to the devices can be self regulated if that is your goal.