Do you know why vaping is such a big problem with school children? Because they’re buying vapes, especially the brightly coloured disposable kind with child-friendly names and flavours, and getting hooked on them. And why are they engaging in this idiotic behaviour? Because vapes are easily available for purchase, online and at vape shops, and any enterprising youngster can easily get around the age barrier – you have to be 18 to buy them legally in the UK.

Therefore, what we need is ‘a well-regulated market, with vapes and liquids readily available to smokers whilst also implementing restrictions aimed at preventing youth uptake.’ This is according to a 78-year-old self-styled vaping barrister, Robert Richter, in The Sydney Morning Herald (14 February 2024).

Not being convinced, I wrote to him and suggested that, instead of more regulation of vaping and tobacco products, we should aim for their abolition. After all, if they’re not available for people to buy, in theory that should fix the problem. And for smokers who wish to use vapes as a smoking cessation aid, they could be obtainable on prescription at pharmacies.

But he wasn’t having any of that. This is his argument:

I function perfectly normally with the nicotine vape and will be reducing it as my work and anxiety levels diminish. (My emphasis.)

I’m sure you’re perfectly aware of the ease with which youngsters get cigarettes although they’re breaking the law if they are underage. Would you prefer those intent on getting nicotine vapes to get cigarettes instead? I think not.

Every other prohibitionist [I didn’t say ‘prohibition’, I said ‘abolition’] model has produced organised crime to fight for territory. Buying alcohol is probably more deleterious that nicotine so what is wrong with having the same regimen for vapes?

It’s the old argument of ‘what about alcohol?’ on top of ‘if they can’t get nicotine vapes, they’ll smoke instead.’

I replied to this, but rather than further debating these points, I took him up on his confession that he was a lifelong smoker who developed cancer and after successful treatment he switched to vaping and has not had a cigarette in five years. This means he’s sucking into his lungs a nicotine-laced aerosol probably hundreds of times every day.

It’s likely that vaping is less dangerous than smoking, but why is he vaping at all? He says it’s because of his work and anxiety levels. I trust his interesting and important work as a barrister doesn’t make him anxious, but could it be the nicotine in the vape that is causing his anxiety?

Vapers, like smokers, are in an almost constant state of nicotine withdrawal, the cardinal symptom of which is anxiety. This is why they feel a need to keep putting nicotine into their bodies. It’s the nicotine itself that causes the anxiety, but if Mr Richter could cease vaping it’s likely he would feel much less anxious.

I offered to help him return to the happy state of being nicotine-free. His response? Silence.

This is the tragedy of nicotine addiction: those so afflicted don’t want to stop.

Nonetheless, dear reader, if you’re in this predicament and wish you weren’t, I can help you with my personalised stop smoking counselling.

Text © Gabriel Symonds

Picture credit: Creative Commons