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You may have noticed that more people are carrying around vape products than pouches of tobacco. Instead of the potent smell of tobacco when you walk past a public park bench, you get to smell the sweet odour of berries or maybe even dessert treats.
It’s clear to see that there has been significant growth in the vaping industry, with more people visiting their local vape shops rather than corner dairies for ‘durries’. But where has this growth come from? What has caused it? It might have something to do with some of the following factors.
The Cost of Cigarettes
Each year, the price of cigarettes increases dramatically. According to SmokeFree, a pack-a-day smoker would spend over $230 per week on cigarettes and over $12,000 each year. If you were on the median hourly wage in New Zealand, you would need to work for over an hour just to buy a single packet of smokes.
Many Kiwis are saying enough is enough. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars each week on smokes, they’re heading to their local vape store to purchase vape pens with e-liquids. As e-liquids with nicotine are available, many smokers can still get their nicotine fix as they start their journey to stamping out the ciggies for good.
For Health Reasons
Smoking is a harmful habit with many harmful health effects like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and kidney disease. When smoking starts to affect your health, you may have the motivation you need to kick the habit for good.
However, the pull of nicotine can be hard for many people to manage, and they can find themselves lured back in. To reduce the risk of this happening, many people decide to turn to vaping, a less harmful alternative that can help them give up their cigarette addiction for good.
Easy Access
When you need to purchase cigarettes, you have to get in the car, drive to your closest cigarette-selling store, and make an in-person purchase. With the COVID-19 pandemic, a few extra steps are included, such as wearing a mask, signing in, and possibly even waiting outside until it’s safe for you to enter.
Those problems can be avoided when you vape instead of smoke. You can purchase all the supplies you need online and have them delivered directly to your door. This option is also preferred for people who don’t have time to visit shops or live in remote locations with limited access to necessities.
It’s Affordable
According to SmokeFree, vaping costs a mere 10% of what smoking can cost. While you might spend over $12,000 a year on tobacco, your vaping habit may cost you $1,200 or even less.
The majority of the costs associated with vaping are in setting up. Once you’ve purchased your starter or advanced kit, you only then need to worry about buying vape juice and parts like coils and tanks. It’s a much more manageable cost compared to your average packet of cigarettes.
More Device Options Than Ever Before
When smoking without actually smoking started becoming popular, we were pretty limited in what we had access to. You could purchase traditional e-cigarettes, which generally came with a bitter, peppery flavour that didn’t make you want to use them before.
However, with time and technological advancements came new and exciting products. We’re now spoilt for choice with an eclectic mix of vaping tools to use as smoking cessation devices and for fun.
And they just keep getting better. The vaping technology we have today may be far different from that available in just a few years.
Wide Range of Flavours
When you smoke cigarettes, you’re generally limited in the flavour department. You may notice hints of port, rum, or menthol, but they are very subtle compared to the strength of the tobacco itself.
However, that’s certainly not an issue with vape products. While you can purchase e-liquids that mimic tobacco and menthol as closely as possible, there is a wide range of other flavours. You can tempt your taste buds with cakey, creamy, and fruity flavours, or quench your thirst with drink and candy flavours, as well.
Oftentimes, people transition from smoking to vaping with closely related flavours, then start exploring the full range once they’ve been able to give up their smoking habit permanently.
The Government Believes In It
The government set an incredibly ambitious goal in 2011 – to make Aotearoa smoke-free by 2025. We’re not all that far away from 2025, and 550,000 Kiwis are still daily smokers.
However, the Ministry of Health’s general stance is that vaping products have the potential to contribute to our Smokefree 2025 goal. Expert opinion is that vaping products are much less harmful than smoking and that switching to vaping products may reduce the risks to people’s health.
Ready to Quit Smoking?
Quitting cold turkey can be a daunting prospect, which is why utilising smoking cessation tools is always an excellent idea. Vaping may be something you consider when you’re trying to give up for yourself and your whanau.
