The turn of the new year has always been a time for making lifestyle changes, trying new things, and of course, kicking old habits. Well, for many young people, the vice of choice these days is disposable vapes. These innocent-looking devices have taken over the nicotine scene, making the addiction more accessible and attractive than ever. With a litany of flavour choices tailored to a generation whose attention is harder to hold than a greased-up melon, it’s no shock that this product has become so popular so fast. In this long overdue return of Six Minute Reads, we look at the rise of disposables, the concerns surrounding their promotion and use, and the current state of the broader vaping industry.
Surge in popularity
Disposable vapes are f**king everywhere now. During 2021, which was really when these vapes exploded in popularity, they still only accounted for 2.3% of all vape use in the UK. In 2023, that number was up to 31%. Though a viable option for would-be quitters, their broad appeal has attracted a different type of customer: young people who have never smoked. During that first year of real renown, the percentage of 18-year-olds vaping these single-use devices went from less than 1%, all the way up to 57%. And one last disturbing statistic, disposables account for 69% of all vape use amongst 11 to 17-year-olds. Not only do these fidget-spinneresque addiction sticks replace that rough-tasting smoke with whatever fruity concoction tickles your fancy on a given day, but they are also a bargain in comparison to traditional cigarettes. The cost for a box of those good old-fashioned lung destroyers goes up with each passing year, but your average disposable comes in at about half the price.
Health concerns
Despite a lack of long-term research, it is widely accepted that vapes are better for you than smoking, bypassing the harmful combustion process which produces carbon monoxide and tar. In terms of nicotine content though, these little vapes pack quite a punch. Sources differ on the exact equivalence, but the typical 20mg disposables we find here in Ireland and Europe contain as much nicotine as a box of 20 cigarettes. However, the vapour’s slightly different nicotine delivery method has led some scientists to estimates closer to 50. Cleaner? Yes. Healthier? Probably. But healthy? Not really. If you look down to the very bottom of the popular brand, Elfbar’s website, you will find a warning regarding the chemicals of their products, namely that they are known to cause cancer, lung scarring and inflammation, as well as reproductive harm. On top of this, the flavourings of these ‘bars’ have been shown to cause tooth decay in a way similar to sugar. Nicotine and sugar? Now that’s a mean combo.
Disposable?
Aside from the obvious health concerns, disposable vapes have another smoking-hot issue to face. The environment. See, disposable vapes, despite what the name may suggest, are actually quite difficult to dispose of. First of all, they are plastic. Strike 1. An even larger concern is the lithium used in the batteries. As one of the crucial components of electric car batteries, we need to save as much of this precious metal as possible. Yet, in the UK, approximately 1.3 million of these things are discarded every week. Unless brought to an electrical recycling facility, the lithium goes to waste. And while vaping supporters love to remind us how cigarettes lead to far more litter, the future health of our planet doesn’t depend on how many cotton filters we can recycle properly. We can go back and forth on the health aspect of this tech, but the damage to the environment which results is undeniable, and this has become the crux of many an argument against disposables.
An end in sight
The response from governments has been slow, but we are seeing new regulations be discussed, and some already introduced. Here in Ireland, there is a slow movement towards a full ban on disposables, following campaigns highlighting the epidemic of vaping, which documented 7 cases of vaping-related hospitalisations of children last year. Micheal Martin, who famously introduced the smoking ban in indoor spaces 20 years ago, has touted this craze as the revenge of the tobacco industry. Outside of Ireland, similar bans are being discussed. The French parliament has voted unanimously for these single-use vapes to be banned, and they hope to implement this ban by September of this year, pending Senate approval. Measures are being taken against single-use vapes in Australia, and some US states. But by 2026, disposables will no longer be legal in the European market. So problem solved?
Cut off one head…
See, the companies who manufacture these devices are not ones to go down without a fight. Above, you can see the pivots already being made by some of the biggest disposable vape brands. Instead of ‘single-use’ vapes, reusable pods are going to be the new norm, just as nicotine-dense, and still as convenient and customisable as you could ever want.
And this brings us to the bigger issue.
The Vaping Problem
Look, this needs to be prefaced by saying that vaping, as a mechanism for long-term smokers to kick the habit is a great thing, always has been. But the industry has been hijacked by large multinational corporations whose sole focus is profit, regardless of societal damage. The most popular disposable vape brands, Lost Mary and Elfbar, are owned by the same Chinese company, iMiracle, who generated $1.8 billion in revenue from disposables last year. This is a company that routinely labels its products as batteries and flashlights to avoid import taxes and exploits loopholes in countries’ regulations around flavours appealing to children. Now you may be thinking, there have to be others! Yes, there are. And they’re even worse.
Before shady tech companies were manipulating us all through our screens, Big Tobacco was the gold standard for unethical marketing practices. In 1923, Lucky Strike used the women’s rights movement to promote their cigarettes as ‘Torches of Freedom,’ doubling sales over the next 6 years. By 1965, women’s cigarette purchases rose from 5% to 33% of total sales. More recently, in 1998, it was found that these companies were adjusting the nicotine content of their products to keep addiction levels as high as possible.
Fast forward to today, and the four largest tobacco corporations have all invested heavily in e-cigarettes, actively lobbying for these devices under the guise of social responsibility and care for the health of the population. But here’s the problem. It’s a charade.
Get ’em young
From 1995 to 2015, teen smoking in Ireland fell from 41% to 13.1%. The hold of nicotine on this country’s young population was loosening. Even when vapes first entered the Irish market, it was a rather niche lifestyle choice, geared towards would-be quitters, and contained to vape shops that provided a service without aggressively trying to jam their products (quite literally) down their customers’ throats. But as soon as it became apparent that young people preferred this new nicotine delivery method, vaping hit the mainstream. School bathrooms became perpetually covered in a fruit-scented fog, and the wall of every shop turned into a multi-coloured mural for nicotine addiction, catching the attention of children from the moment they could see over the counter. These companies have shown time and again that they will do just about anything to get people hooked, and investing billions into vaping companies is not their way of making amends for their part in the tobacco epidemic. It’s a pretty transparent attempt to dig their claws into a generation which prefers sweet-tasting vapour to tobacco smoke. And it’s working. A third of Irish teens aged 13-16 now vape.
Closing remarks
Well over a billion people smoke tobacco, and the number of vapers is pushing on 100 million. In a world of excessive choice, where customer loyalty is becoming harder and harder to attain, making a person physically and mentally reliant on what you’re selling is a golden ticket for success. Big Tobacco knew this for decades, and best believe they, along with these Chinese vaping giants, are still operating by that same philosophy. Cigarettes, disposables, reusables, Roll-your-own. These are not their products. Their product is nicotine, and they will deliver it by any means necessary, to as many people as they can, regardless of age.
I’ll end with an editorial note.
Firstly, and most importantly, I smoke. I vape. I am a hypocrite. So bear that in mind.
The issue I’m highlighting here isn’t with vaping, it’s with the companies who promote it with no ethical restraints. If you are trying to kick the habit this new year, it’s a great idea, and one your lungs, wallet and future self will thank you for. If, like me, you’ve already failed, don’t worry. There’s always next year.