Insight /
What’s the appeal?
Among California’s young people, the practice of vaping — smoking tobacco-free, flavoured nicotine — was on the up. No longer the preserve of smokers trying to downgrade their habit, vaping was increasingly being adopted by teenagers who’d never touched a cigarette in their life. The reason? The concentrated effort of the tobacco industry to use the tools at their disposal — appealing colours, candy-floss flavours, and attractive tech — to hook a new generation on their products.
But far from being plain tobacco’s friendlier, safer cousin, vape fluid – with its potent chemical mix and high levels of nicotine – comes with its own health risks, especially to young people’s developing brains.