Surge in high nicotine vape use among young people

Alarming new research reveals a sharp rise in high-strength nicotine vape use, raising concerns about addiction and health risks.

According to a study by University College London (UCL) & Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, the use of high-strength nicotine vapes has significantly increased over the past three years.

In June 2021, only 6.6% of vape users opted for e-cigarettes close to the legal nicotine limit of 20mg/ml advised by the UK government and the European Union. By January 2024, this figure had rocketed to 32.5%.

Alarmingly, some products on the market contain a staggering 50mg/ml or more – more than double the legal limit that experts warn can rapidly lead to  health risks.

Rise among young adults

The demographic showing the largest uptake is the 18-24 age group, where usage jumped from 3.9% to an astonishing 53.1% in the same period.

The study, based on a survey of 7,314 adults, suggests young adults are increasingly turning to higher-strength nicotine solutions when vaping.

Implications for taxation

The findings come amid governmental plans to introduce a tax on vapes based on nicotine strength, a move cautioned against by researchers. Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author, asserts that higher nicotine vapes play a crucial role as one of the methods of quitting smoking.

She further states that taxing higher strength nicotine vapes could make them less accessible, potentially driving individuals to lower-strength options and hindering quit-smoking efforts using vapes.

Comment from Allen Carr’s Easyway

At Allen Carr’s Easyway, every year we see thousands of smokers and thousands of vapers who we help to freedom with our drug free one day seminar. The increasing numbers of people addicted to only vaping over the last ten years is of significant concern.

We’ve been warning for years that young people will get drawn into nicotine addiction as a result of lack of regulation and it’s quite predictable that vapers will increase the amount and strength of nicotine they consume as a result of addiction. That’s simply how addiction works – levels of the drug do not reduce – the addiction gets progressively worse.

Vaping is often thought of as less harmful than smoking but young people, due to marketing and mixed messaging, often think it is harmless yet there are mental and physical effects of vaping which anyone considering vaping needs to be aware of.

Nicotine is highly addictive and studies show that vaping affects young people’s brain and lung development in devastating ways.

Vaping firms are clearly trying to manipulate the nicotine levels in the belief that it will deepen their customers addiction. The fact is that nicotine is highly addictive in any dose and should be avoided. Whatever strength nicotine someone is addicted to – Allen Carr’s Easyway can set them free with ease.

In terms of policy and taxation more needs to be done to educate young people that vaping is not harmless as well as regulating access to all vapes, regulating the way they are marketed and helping all smokers and vapers that have fallen into the nicotine trap to find freedom. Taxation policy can help reduce vaping levels amongst youngsters and adults alike.

Allen Carr’s Easyway to quit vaping provides a proven , effective, easy solution to getting free from cigarettes without the need to switch to vaping and remaining a nicotine addict.