Survey finds that among 301 alternative tobacco users, 55 per cent intend to continue vaping discreetly, while 35 per cent plan to switch back to traditional cigarettes
Twenty-two-year-old Hongkonger Elio* started smoking at the age of 16, when he was studying abroad in New Zealand.
But what started as a way to kill time soon became a daily habit to relieve the stress of an uncertain future.
Despite suffering from a collapsed lung in 2020, he resumed smoking and drinking a few months after recovery, later switching to e-cigarettes amid rising tobacco taxes.
After the 2022 ban on the sale of vapes, he restricted his habit to one capsule every three days – equivalent to 20 cigarettes in terms of nicotine content – but continued to purchase pods online to sustain his supply.
He vapes only in private to avoid enforcement officers.
“If I haven’t vaped in a while, I feel really down and lethargic,” he said.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
