Use of high-powered vapes has increased tenfold in just three years, with more than half of young users opting for the very strongest e-cigarette liquids, research shows

Research shows that the number of people using high-powered vapes has increased almost tenfold in just three years.

A third of vapers used high-strength nicotine in January this year, compared to an average of just 3.8 percent between July 2016 and June 2021.

The biggest increase has been among 18 to 24 year olds, with more than half now using the strongest e-cigarettes.

According to the research from University College London, large increases were also seen in older age groups and among current smokers and recent ex-smokers.

Researchers looked at survey responses from 7,314 adult vapers in England between 2016 and 2024 to see how the use of different nicotine strengths had changed over that period.

To assess the current use of nicotine strengths between 2022 and 2024, the researchers also looked at survey data from Wales and Scotland.

The team classified e-liquids with 20 mg/ml nicotine or more as high strength, which is the legal limit in Britain.

The UK government has proposed introducing three categories of tax on e-liquids, with the lowest applied to nicotine-free liquids and the highest to e-liquids containing 11 mg/ml or more of nicotine.

The researchers found that vapers who used disposable e-cigarettes tended to use higher strength nicotine.

Lead author, Dr Sarah Jackson, said: ‘The timing of the rise in popularity of high-powered vapes has coincided with the introduction of new disposable vapes, many of which contain e-liquids with nicotine concentrations at the upper end of the legal limit (20mg/ml).

‘Disposable vapes are particularly popular among younger vapers, so it’s not surprising to see a bigger increase in the use of high-potency e-liquids among 18-24 year olds.’

With plans to ban disposable vapes, experts warned that the high-strength versions could easily be replaced by reusable models.

The research also found that there was an increase in the number of vapers using disposables and pod devices and not knowing how strong their nicotine-containing e-liquid was.

Writing in the journal Addiction, they suggest that better labeling is needed to ensure nicotine strength is clear to consumers.

Despite the ‘sharp increase’, researchers warned against taxing vapes based on their strength, adding it could cause more damage.

Dr. Sharon Cox, from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: ‘Taxing products based on nicotine strength could also lead to people using lower, cheaper strengths and vaping more, as a person with nicotine addiction will change their behavior change to get the required nicotine dose into their system. It can therefore increase the amount of liquid used and vapers’ exposure to potentially toxic substances.”

Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and co-author of the study, said: ‘Reducing underage vaping can best be achieved by making all vaping less attractive and increasing the price at the point of sale , regardless of their nicotine content. contents.

“This is the policy that will be most effective at preventing kids from starting vaping in the first place.”