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Alec Olson

Prof. Dunham

ENG 1201

2 May 2021

Vaping and Smoking: Which is the Lesser Evil?

Humans have been smoking tobacco products for centuries now; yet only in the recent

past, being the past 60-ish years, was it released to the public that these tobacco products,

products that many had loved for so long and that had become engrained into society, can kill

you. This is the main reason vaping was first invented. It was intended for those who no longer

wished to smoke, yet could not keep away from tobacco. It was meant as a safer alternative. That

is why I, along with thousands and thousands of others, switched to vaping. But now, in the past

couple years, it has been found that vaping too can be quite dangerous. With some arguing it is

just as bad if not worse, and others arguing it is still far better than smoking. Which side is right?

Is vaping truly safer than smoking? Vaping is a better alternative to smoking, for those trying to

quit and stay away from it, because it is cheaper and less harmful than smoking, as vape juice

contains less harmful chemicals than tobacco products do.

For some history on the subject of both smoking and vaping, smoking was discovered

around the 15th and 16th centuries. Tobacco was first smoked in pipes. It was not until sometime

in the 19th century that people began smoking tobacco in form of cigarettes. For most of the time

of smoking’s existence, people had viewed it as healthy and normal. Doctors and physicians had

even promoted smoking as a healthy part of the “modern” lifestyle in the early and mid-1900’s.

It was not until the latter half of the 20th century that doctors and scientists began to notice the
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negative effects it has on a human’s body, and that it can cause cancer. But at that point, it was

too late to completely ban or eliminate smoking, as it had become too engrained into society.

Therefore, people who saw and cared about the dangers of smoking decided to find an

alternative. In 2003, vaping was invented in China. It did not see widespread use until the

2010’s, though. There were no real serious health risks with vaping at first, until around 2018-

2019. In 2018, something known as popcorn lung was discovered, where scarring in the lungs,

by chemicals found in some vaping juices, cause issues with breathing. This was not good, but in

2019, things became much worse. In 2019 a small pandemic broke out among those who vape. A

disease of the lungs began occurring, killing some and impairing others’ breathing. It was found

to mostly be caused by illegally manufactured vaping juices and vape juices containing THC

(marijuana vapes), but it was the largest incident caused by vaping to date. For these issues and

events, many began to question the safety of vaping compared to smoking, especially for those

who previously smoked.

Although vaping is certainly a better alternative than tobacco smoking, both products do

contain harmful chemicals. But there are far less within vape juices compared to the amount in

tobacco products. It is still best to neither vape nor smoke, for those who have never been

addicted to nicotine, but for those who smoke and feel they cannot stop, vaping would be a

better, less harmful choice. Michael J. Blaha states in his article, “5 Vaping Facts You Need to

Know” on the John Hopkins Medicine website, that “Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000

chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-

cigarettes, Blaha says ‘there’s almost no doubt that they expose you to fewer toxic chemicals

than traditional cigarettes’” (Blaha). This shows that tobacco cigarettes contain a far greater

amount of harmful chemicals than vapes do, which is a good reason on its own to vape rather
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than smoke. It has also been found that inhaling nicotine through vapor is far less harmful than

inhaling it through burning tobacco, as tobacco smoke can lead to far greater illnesses (Health

Promotion Agency/Ministry of Health – Manatu Hauora). It can also be stated that smoke in

general is more dangerous than vapor, as almost all forms of smoke cause significantly more

damage to the lungs than most vapors do. This shows how it can be proven that vaping is a safer

alternative to smoking, as smoking means inhaling more chemicals than vape juice vapor and

causes more and far worse illnesses, such as a greater risk of cancer.

Smoking has been causing harm to humanity long before humans even knew it. Many

deaths of the past, and even present, have been directly related to smoking. As stated by the CDC

on their website, “Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United

States” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). This helps to show just how large of an

issue smoking tobacco really is. It is best to never smoke or to quit as soon as possible, as

smoking can damage nearly every organ within one’s body, can lead to many diseases and

reduces one’s health altogether (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Smoking is also

known to cause cancer in almost every part of the body, heart disease and heart failure, and

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is why, if someone is currently smoking

and wishes to quit, vaping is a decent alternative. It may not be highly better than smoking, but it

is at least somewhat better, if someone is looking to quit smoking but cannot do so with ease.

Some may ask, “well, what about chewing tobacco?” Although smokeless tobacco

products, such as chewing tobacco, are often promoted as a safer alternative to smoking, they are

no better. They may not have all the same risks as smoking tobacco, but they have other risks.

Smokeless tobacco can lead to mouth, throat or pancreas cancer, heart disease, dental disease,

pregnancy risks, and, if eaten, possible poisoning (Mayo Clinic). While most likely less
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dangerous than smoking, smokeless tobacco like chew, snuff, and snus are all still more

dangerous than vaping. They are more dangerous as they are still known to cause more harm

than vaping.

Fig. 1 – Potentially harmful ingredients that could be included in smokeless tobacco and vape

juices. The ingredients shown for smokeless tobacco are potentially more dangerous (Chang).

Something that should be said of vaping is that it should only be used by those looking to

leave smoking behind, as it can, in some cases, lead to smoking if done by someone who had not

smoked previously. In a test done in southern California with high school students who vape, it

was found that vaping led to a higher risk of smoking in those participating around 6 months

after the test began (Leventhal). This is why it is important for those who have never smoked to

stay away from vaping and nicotine as a whole. It can be beneficial for quitting smoking, but it is

not something anybody should do. It should especially not be done by younger people, as it is
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quite harmful for them. It is better than smoking and good for those who are trying to quit

smoking, yet very bad for those who do not smoke and for teens and young adults. It is harmful

for brain development in teens and young adults up to their early 20s, as all things containing

nicotine can be (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). This is why it is best to keep

younger people away from things containing nicotine. If someone who is younger does end up

gaining an addiction to nicotine, it is still somewhat better if it is vape instead of tobacco.

Although, they should quit all together, regardless of what it is.

Not all forms of vaping liquids are the same, either. There are many different variants,

these being different flavors, levels of nicotine, nicotine salts, types that create larger clouds of

vapor, etc. Some have also been found to be worse than others. From testing done by the

Austrian Drug Screening Institute, it has found that some forms of vaping liquids, mainly

different flavors, are just as harmful to the human body as tobacco and cigarette smoke is

(Jakschitz et al. 485-491). While it is true that some forms of vaping and vape juices have been

found to be as bad as smoking, most are still safer. The different types and flavors that have been

found to be more dangerous can be easily avoided, and many have been pulled off the market.

This also further proves that neither vaping or smoking are truly safe, vaping is just a safer

alternative to smoking.

As an alternative way of quitting and staying away from smoking, vaping has been found

to work quite well. It has been shown to work just as well as other methods of cessation, being

cessation aids, like nicotine patches or gum, or no use of any product (Pierce). While this may

not help someone quit nicotine altogether, it will at least help them quit smoking tobacco, as, for

some, quitting nicotine can seem near impossible and they may end up smoking tobacco again

with no alternative. Vaping can provide that alternative. It is still best to eventually quit vaping
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and nicotine altogether, though, as vaping too is quite unhealthy. Some even argue it is basically

just as bad as smoking tobacco. John Hopkins Medicine found that, with vaping, you are only

inhaling a slightly smaller amount of chemicals than you do when smoking, which is around

7,000 chemicals (Cattamanchi and Fletcher). While the difference may not be very large, most

chemicals within smoking tobacco are far worse than ones found in vape juice. Although,

science has not yet found all there is to find out about vaping yet (Cattamanchi and Fletcher).

Hopefully there is not much else to find, in terms of negative results. But from what is currently

known at this time, vaping is still a better alternative for those who smoke.

There are some who may argue that smoking is not as wide spread of an issue as it once

was and that vaping has no purpose, other than to be the next issue. This is untrue. While

smoking may not be as wide spread as it has been in the past, it certainly is still a large issue.

Cynthia Cabrera, in her essay “Vapor Products Can Help Smokers Quit”, states, “In Florida

alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 28,000 adults die

from smoking-related illnesses each year, leading to more than $6.3 billion in health care

costs annually. In fact, while there are 5 million ‘vapers’ across the country, 40 million people

still smoke” (Cabrera 1). This shows just how bad the issue of tobacco smoking still is. There are

still so many people who still smoke, and the statistics Cabrera mentions are only of the United

States, if the rest of the world were included, they would be far greater.

Part of the issue with many people who still smoke is they do not want to quit or change

to vaping, simply because they do not care. Many people who smoke in the world know of the

great danger in which smoking brings, but they do not see or notice any changes to themselves

while smoking. That is simply because many smokers do not feel the impact of smoking on their

bodies until later on in life. For example, some research has shown that it takes people who
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smoke more lightly around one year to develop as much lung damage as a heavy smoker

develops in around 9 months (Pratt). Even with this damage developing, most smokers would not

notice it until later on. Elizabeth Pratt, in her article “‘Social’ Smoking Does Almost as Much

Damage to Your Lungs as ‘Heavy’ Smoking”, explains, “Lung function — the amount of air a

person can breathe in and out — naturally declines with age. But smoking accelerates this

process” (Pratt). This means that, even if you do not notice much change while smoking for a

few years, later on a smoker may notice a more rapid change in lung function than that of

someone who does not and has not smoked. Not to mention their much greater risk of heart

failure, cancer, and so on. This is all the more reason vaping would be a better alternative for

those who smoke.

Not only has vaping been seen as a better alternative to smoking health-wise, it is also

cheaper than most tobacco products. For example, in Australia someone who would smoke a

pack of cigarettes a day (which is on the more extreme side of smoking) would be spending

around $10,580 a year on cigarettes. While someone who vapes in Australia, with a refillable

pod system, would be spending around $1,150 a year, if they are using around 4ml of vaping

juice a day (Mimmette). The same price difference, more or less, goes for other countries around

the world as well. This goes to show that, not only is vaping a safer alternative to smoking,

vaping is more cost effective as well.

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Fig. 2 – Cost difference between vaping and cigarette smoking for first purchase, for a month,

then a year. While first time purchase may be expensive for vaping, the cost for purchasing

cigarettes accumulates to be much greater over time (Corin).

Overall, it can be clearly seen that vaping is cheaper, less harmful, and that vape juices

contain less chemicals than tobacco and smoking. Meaning that vaping is a better alternative to

smoking, for those who smoke. While it still may be somewhat harmful, vaping is definitely still

less harmful than smoking is to the human body. Tobacco products contain much more harmful

chemicals, meaning those who smoke are constantly inhaling more and more of these chemicals,

which, overtime, harms their lungs and other parts of the body. Smoking also makes the people

who smoke more prone to cancer as well as other diseases. Vaping, on the other hand, is less

harmful than smoking, which makes it a better alternative that those who smoke can switch to,

instead of tobacco. Vaping, as well as being less harmful, is also cheaper than most tobacco

products, as seen in the chart above. People who vape spend around a third less a year than those

who smoke cigarettes. Although this is all true about vaping and smoking, it should, again, be
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said that vaping should only be done by those who smoke and wish to quit smoking, yet cannot

fully quit nicotine and inhalation of nicotine, as many people who smoke struggle with that.

Vaping should not be done by those who do not and have never smoked, as it leads to nicotine

addiction. It could also potentially lead to smoking, for some people. But, while vaping may be a

newer invention with less research done on it than tobacco usage, it is clear that vaping is clearly

a better alternative for those who do use tobacco products.

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Works Cited

Blaha, Michael Joseph. “5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, John

Hopkins Health System, 2021, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-

prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping. Accessed 29 Apr. 2021.

Chang, Cindy, et al. “Smokeless Tobacco, E-Cigarettes, Vaping: What is the Real Deal?”

National Federation of High School Associations, NFHS, 14 Mar. 2017,

https://www.nfhs.org/articles/smokeless-tobacco-e-cigarettes-vaping-what-is-the-real-

deal/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

Cabrera, Cynthia. "Vapor Products Can Help Smokers Quit." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online

Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/ANEAOO857539806/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=e810b821.. Originally published as "Clearing up hazy

fallacies regarding vapor products," Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2014. Accessed 11 Apr. 2021

Corin. “Analyzing the Health Risks of Vaping.” Calculators.org, 2019,

www.calculators.org/health/vaping-risks.php. Accessed 28 Apr. 2021.

Fletcher, Jenna, and Cattamanchi, Adithya. “Vaping vs. Smoking: Long-Term Effects, Benefits,

and Risks.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 23 June 2020,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vaping-vs-smoking. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Health Promotion Agency. “Vaping vs Smoking.” Vaping Facts, Ministry of Health - Manatu

Hauora, 2019, vapingfacts.health.nz/vaping-vs-smoking/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2021.

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Jakschitz, Thomas, et al. “Electronic Cigarettes - an Important Progress or Just Another Risk for

Health?” Pure & Applied Chemistry, vol. 92, no. 3, Mar. 2020, pp. 485–491. EBSCOhost,

doi:10. 1515/pac-2019-0206.

Leventhal, Adam M. “e-Cigarette Use and Progression to Cigarette Smoking.” JAMA, JAMA

Network, 8 Nov. 2016, jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2579858.

Mimmette. “Vaping Cost.” ATHRA, Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, 27

Apr. 2019, www.athra.org.au/vaping/vaping-cost/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2021.

Pierce, John P., et al. "Role of e-cigarettes and pharmacotherapy during attempts to quit cigarette

smoking: The PATH Study 2013-16." PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 9, 2020, p. e0237938.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A634257945/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=70fa9fde. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Pratt, Elizabeth. “‘Social’ Smoking Does Almost as Much Damage to Your Lungs as ‘Heavy’

Smoking.” Healthline, Red Ventures, 13 Oct. 2019, www.healthline.com/health-

news/smoking-5-cigarettes-a-day-isnt-much-better-than-smoking-2-packs. Accessed 25

Apr. 2021.

“Smoking & Tobacco Use.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of

Health & Human Services, 1 Mar. 2021, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/. Accessed 26 Mar.

2021.

“Smokeless tobacco products.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation of Medical Education and

Research, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-

depth/chewing-tobacco/art-20047428. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.