‘More Initiation Through Vaping Than Smoking’

For the first time, there are more young people who begin to use nicotine through vaping rather than through cigarettes, according to new research from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). “We now have a shift such that there are more ‘never smokers’ who vape than established smokers,” said MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Benjamin Toll, director of the MUSC Health Tobacco Treatment Program, in a statement. “That is a massive shift in the landscape of tobacco. These ‘never smokers’ are unlikely to start smoking combustible cigarettes—they’re likely to vape and keep vaping. And it’s this group, ages 18 to 24, who are going to forecast future e-cigarette users.”