While the research on vaping has been lacking for some time, a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that, even though vaping may be safer than cigarettes, it is still dangerous in many ways. Meanwhile, after proving that vaping companies were using social media sites, Instagram in particular, to advertise to underage people, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now banned all advertising by any tobacco companies on the app. This comes as the number of high-schoolers vaping continues to rise.
The study released the first long-term project studying vaping. Researchers monitored the health of e-cigarette users over the course of three years. The study found that, while vaping and cigarettes both put a person at higher risk of lung disease, the most at risk group were those that did both. The use of both products by the same individual in the same time period is common leading researchers to conclude that "using an e-cigarette is associated with lower odds of successfully quitting smoking." Of course, e-cigarettes have long been advertised as a safer option for people who are addicted to cigarettes.
It is technically true that e-cigarettes are less dangerous to your health than regular cigarettes. Within two to three years, vaping puts users at roughly 30% higher odds of developing lung disease than those who don't smoke at all. However, those who smoke "combustible tobacco" are at 156% higher odds of lung disease than those who don't smoke at all, making e-cigarettes much less deadly if used alone. Those who use both e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products are 3.3 times more likely to develop lung disease than those who don't meaning using both is more than twice as deadly than using cigarettes alone. The authors of the study agreed that, if you have to pick one, vaping is much safer.
However, vaping is still highly dangerous and is being combated by some of the world's largest governments. In the U.S., several states have banned the sale of flavored vaping products which they claim attract younger users. The Trump Administration announced in September that they would be passing down a decision on whether or not a flavored vaping products should be banned, but they have yet to do so despite the fact that the White House regulatory office finished its review of FDA guidance in November.
In the U.K., four vaping companies were brought under scrutiny after they were accused of promoting nicotine use as well as using models who appear to be under 25. Using models under 25 for this purpose is banned under the advertising code. The complaint was supported by anti-smoking groups like Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (Stop).
The vaping companies in question are British American Tobacco (BAT), Ama Vape, Attitude Vapes, and Global Vaping Group. BAT argued that their Instagram (NASDAQ: FB) posts were meant to share information about products that "stopped short of direct or indirect promotion." According to Ash chief executive Deborah Arnott, the ASA has ruled that BAT's "social media tactics... were both irresponsible and unlawful." Global Vaping group has accepted the ruling agreeing that their posts went "beyond purely being factual" and admitted they could not verify the age of at least one woman shown smoking in a post.
Instagram has now announced that they will be updating their rules to ban paid promotion of vapes or tobacco products on the app.
The big tobacco companies that are related to this topic are Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM), British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI), Imperial Brands (OTC: IMBBY), Japan Tobacco International (OTC: JAPAY) and China Tobacco.