What about cigarettes? — Dev Harry — Opinion

What about cigarettes?

October 23, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

I applaud the government’s stance on banning the import and sale of vapes in Guyana. Nicotine addiction has long been a challenge for many nations to overcome. But banning vapes does not entirely solve the issue.

Cigarettes are still more dangerous than vaping. Burning tobacco releases over 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds of toxic substances and at least 70 known carcinogens, plus the deadly carbon monoxide. It causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, leading directly to the vast majority of lung cancer cases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, and severe heart disease. Vaping exposes users to fewer total toxins and lacks carbon monoxide and tar because there is no combustion. Aerosol from e-cigarettes, however, still delivers nicotine, heavy metals (like nickel, lead, and cadmium), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and flavoring chemicals like diacetyl. Vaping causes lung inflammation, raises heart rate and blood pressure, and is linked to severe conditions like EVALI (often tied to THC and vitamin E acetate) and potential long-term cardiovascular damage. E-cigarettes and modern disposables can deliver high amounts of nicotine very smoothly, leading to intense addiction.

We can all agree that both cigarettes and disposable vapes pose serious risks for human health, so why not ban the sale of cigarettes as well? Or impose higher tariffs on their importation to reduce local consumption? The argument of banning vapes alone does not solve the wider problem of nicotine addiction, and with vapes now out of the picture, younger generations that are already nicotine addicted may switch to alternatives like cigarettes to experience the same effects. The local Guyanese market is flooded with options that range from mint to strawberry double-click cigarettes. The price for contraband cigarettes sold is far cheaper than vapes and there is no adherence to restrictions on how they are being sold.

Studies from organizations like the University of Bristol and Yorkshire Cancer Research indicate^[1] that a portion of young vape users (roughly 14% to 18% in specific regional or demographic surveys) may transition to traditional cigarettes or dual-use habits when disposable vapes are prohibited. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH)^[2], when disposable vapes are removed or priced out, some users face a choice between withdrawal, buying expensive reusable starter kits, or opting for cheaper, more accessible packs of conventional cigarettes.

The other major concern for the Guyanese Government is the “Black-Market Growth” for vapes; how will they tackle this? Because contraband items are still being sold in supermarkets and other retail/wholesale vendors, who’s to say they won’t start selling vapes “under the table”?

Kind Regards,
Dev Harry

References

Exploring the potential consequences of the disposable vape ban in the UK: A qualitative study with young adults who use disposable vapes | PLOS Global Public Health

journals.plos.org · 2026-03-11

# Exploring the potential consequences of the disposable vape ban in the UK: A qualitative study with young adults who use disposable vapes - Richie J. Carr, - Sara W. Alattar, - Lana A. Al-Rifai, - Hazel Morfett, - Jasmine Khouja - Published: March 11, 2026 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0004686 ## Figures ## Abstract When the United Kingdom government announced a disposable vapes ban from the 1 st June 2025 in response to a rise in youth vaping, it was not clear how it would impact adults in the United Kingdom who used disposable vapes. In this qualitative study, we recruited and interviewed 22 young adults (n = 20 aged 18–22 years, n = 2 aged 29–30 years) residing in the United Kingdom who regularly used disposable vapes and self-reported either: having never smoked cigarettes, having previously smoked, or currently smoking. In online semi-structured interviews, we explored participants’ experiences of vaping and smoking, what they might do once disposable vapes were banned, and how they thought the ban would impact other people. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed relating to our research aims: “reasons for using disposable vapes”, “personal impacts of the ban”, and “wider impacts of the ban”. Most of our sample were female psychology students recruited via the University of Bristol. Recruitment primarily occurred in and around the University of Bristol campus and via the website. Participants were largely supportive of the ban due to the rise in disposable vape use among young people. Many young adults said they would switch to reusable/rechargeable vapes after the ban while others said they would stop vaping. Some participants (including some who had never regularly smoked before) said they might/would smoke cigarettes instead. Some suggested the ban would reduce current illegal sales of disposable vapes and others thought it may increase them. This study suggests the ban could have intended and unintended consequences for young adults who use disposable vapes, including increasing the use of cigarettes among some of these individuals. The findings highlight areas for future observational studies investigating the impacts of the ban and could aid identification of mitigating factors of unintended consequences. ... Funding: While this study was conducted, one author was supported by Cancer Research UK (C18281/A29019 to the University of Bristol, providing the salary for JK) and the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00011/7 to the University of Bristol, providing the salary for JK). This study was also supported by the University of Bristol School of Psychological Science (internal funds for participant reimbursement to SA). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. ... #### Intentions to use cigarettes or nicotine alternatives. One participant (P05) said they might relapse to smoking cigarettes after the ban: “ I wouldn’t have a reusable vape again because it made me feel so ill, I’d maybe start smoking again but just try and have less. I’d probably try and quit to begin with, but I doubt it would last very long.” P05 said that they had not completely stopped smoking cigarettes, but occasionally smoked in social settings. Most participants who self-identified having previously smoked had tried one type of nicotine alternative (nicotine products other than cigarettes and vapes, e.g., nicotine gum). While they did not discuss using nicotine alternatives after the ban, those who had tried alternatives described a preference for vaping. P04 said: “ I did not like Snus at all”, and P07 said: “[nicotine gum was] just not as good [laughs] again, I feel like it was too much… nicotine, comparatively.” Some noted that the nicotine alternatives did not replace the hand to mouth action of vaping. P08 said: “I think for me a lot of the addiction is the actual hand action, like putting a vape to my mouth, so Snus just doesn’t—I don’t understand how that could replace it.” P04 said: “I also like… the like stimulation of having something to put in my mouth all the time [laughs].” ... The majority of participants who reported both smoking and vaping said they would smoke more after the ban. When asked how the ban will affect their smoking patterns, D06 said: “Erm yeah, I’ll probably just erm use cigarettes, erm… instead of vapes.” D02 said: “ yeah it [the ban] would one hundred percent increase my smoking tenfold.” D01 also described how smoking cigarettes as a replacement for disposable vapes would be an effective way to stop vaping: > “In a way I think smoking cigarettes is actually a really effective way to quit, erm… because they’re so gross and they smell so horrible and they make your clothes and your breath and your fingers smell. So I think I would yeah use—smoke cigarettes.” This quote from D01 seems to reflect the dominance of disposable vapes among young people — rather than considering using e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, this person describes cigarettes as a means to stop vaping. ... #### Smoking. Some participants said that people who use disposable vapes might use cigarettes after the ban. D05 described how people who use vapes to smoke less cigarettes may return to smoking cigarettes: “I think you’re really in a big problem if you’re really trying to stop smoking cigarettes and just like can’t buy vapes anymore, so they [will] just go back to smoking cigarettes.” Some participants noted that they knew people who would switch to cigarettes after the ban. P04 said: “ I know a lot of people who like… smoke sometimes but usually have a vape, and so if the vapes got banned they would just start smoking all the time rather than just occasionally.” P05 said: “it [the ban] just doesn’t make any sense to me like I know a lot of my friends… who vape, they’re not going to be buying reusable vapes they’re going to start smoking, which is so much worse for you.” N11 described how people might replace the use of disposable vapes with cigarettes on ‘nights out’: > “People get used to also like holding things as well whilst they like chat on nights out so like, if someone’s going to be smoking like and they can’t vape they might be like oh can I bum [have] a fag off you can I have like a cig, and then… you know… it will continue.” These assumptions regarding the actions of people they know highlighted a feeling that cigarettes may be the chosen option to replace disposable vapes for both people who are addicted to nicotine and those who only vape socially. ... We aimed to understand how the UK ban on disposable vapes might affect young adults who use them, using the opinions and experiences they shared during interviews before the implementation of the ban. The results of our analysis include three themes that were relevant to our research aims: “reasons for using disposable vapes”, “personal impacts of the ban”, and “wider impacts of the ban”. These themes suggested the ban could have a variety of consequences for young adults, including impacting their vaping and smoking behaviour, and increasing illegal access to disposable vapes. Our results also highlight drivers of disposable vape use, including social influences, ease and accessibility, taste, and the perception of disposable vapes as different to ‘real’ or ‘proper’ reusable vapes. Most participants expressed strong support for the ban due to the rise in vaping caused by disposables. Participants appeared to distinguish ‘real’ (reusable) vapes from disposables and some described how their single-use made them feel they were not committing to vaping, despite using disposables regularly. For many, disposable vape use was also strongly influenced by other people and described as a trend. Despite preferences for disposables over reusables, many participants said they would switch to reusables after the ban, although some noted that whether they did so would depend on what their peers do. Other participants said they might stop vaping once the ban is enforced. Some participants expressed intentions to smoke as a replacement for disposables after the ban, and there was limited discussion of using nicotine alternatives as a replacement. Replacing disposable vapes with cigarettes was mainly discussed among participants who reported currently smoking and vaping. However, some who self-identified as having never smoked, and one who reported previously having smoked also discussed this. In addition, some participants suggested that other adults who use disposable vapes might smoke after the ban. Although many participants in our study said they would switch to reusable vapes after the ban, some said they would use cigarettes instead. Thus, this study suggests that the ban could have caused some young adults to smoke, including those who self-identified as having never smoked cigarettes before the ban. However, quantitative studies should explore the extent to which this behaviour shift has occurred (or not) since the ban. If this shift has occurred, it would be concerning given the increased risk that cigarettes pose to health [3, 42] and the proportion of never-smoking young adults who used disposable vapes before the ban [43]. Awareness of vape products other than disposables varied significantly, which may have affected intentions to use cigarettes, rather than other vaping products that will remain available, although some participants had a greater awareness of other products and still expressed intentions to smoke. Despite evidence suggesting half of adults in the UK believed that vaping is ‘at least or more harmful than smoking’ in 2024 [16], the majority of participants who said they might smoke appeared to have accurate perceptions of the relative harms of vapes compared to cigarettes, including participants who self-identified as having never smoked. This is somewhat in contrast to previous research finding that accurate perceptions of vaping (as less harmful than smoking) are associated with greater likelihood of switching from smoking to vaping among young adults who smoke [44], rather than the other way around. Intentions to smoke after the ban may be even greater among those who have inaccurate perceptions of the relative harms of vapes and cigarettes, but we are unable to infer this from our study [16]. Some participants in our study said they would stop vaping after the ban. Since the UK government announced their plan to ban disposable vapes, the increase in the number of people using vapes in recent years has stabilised. The number of people using disposables has declined, and there has been a shift towards reusable products [45]. Clear communication to young people and adults about the harms of vaping in relation to smoking is necessary to ensure that they do not take up smoking now. Unpublished data from a recent survey of local authorities in the UK (conducted by one of the authors) suggested that many have initiatives to educate young people, but not all are accurately communicating the relative harms or embedding their vaping education with smoking education. Given that some young adults will have been exposed to similar initiatives in their adolescence, more education targeting young adults may be needed. ... ## Conclusions This study provides insight into the potential consequences of banning disposable vapes in the UK for young adults. While many young adults may have switched to other vapes, some may use cigarettes as an alternative. Promoting awareness or encouraging the use of other vape products among adults needs to be balanced with preventing another product replacing disposable vapes among youths. In addition, access to disposable vapes may continue, possibly in convenience shops, where participants described current illegal sales. While the intentions and opinions of participants may change over time, the findings of this study could be useful to direct future research into the impacts of banning disposable vapes and could be used in conjunction with other evidence to mitigate unintended consequences of the ban.

Source

What about cigarettes? in Guyana Times, October 23, 2026

Exploring the potential consequences of the disposable vape ban in the UK: A qualitative study with young adults who use disposable vapes - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · 2026-03-11

When the United Kingdom government announced a disposable vapes ban from the 1 st June 2025 in response to a rise in youth vaping, it was not clear how it would impact adults in the United Kingdom who used disposable vapes. In this qualitative study, we recruited and interviewed 22 young adults (n = 20 aged 18–22 years, n = 2 aged 29–30 years) residing in the United Kingdom who regularly used disposable vapes and self-reported either: having never smoked cigarettes, having previously smoked, or currently smoking. In online semi-structured interviews, we explored participants’ experiences of vaping and smoking, what they might do once disposable vapes were banned, and how they thought the ban would impact other people. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed relating to our research aims: “reasons for using disposable vapes”, “personal impacts of the ban”, and “wider impacts of the ban”. Most of our sample were female psychology students recruited via the University of Bristol. Recruitment primarily occurred in and around the University of Bristol campus and via the website. Participants were largely supportive of the ban due to the rise in disposable vape use among young people. Many young adults said they would switch to reusable/rechargeable vapes after the ban while others said they would stop vaping. Some participants (including some who had never regularly smoked before) said they might/would smoke cigarettes instead. Some suggested the ban would reduce current illegal sales of disposable vapes and others thought it may increase them. This study suggests the ban could have intended and unintended consequences for young adults who use disposable vapes, including increasing the use of cigarettes among some of these individuals. The findings highlight areas for future observational studies investigating the impacts of the ban and could aid identification of mitigating factors of unintended consequences. ... Given the popularity of disposable vapes among youth, the ban could effectively discourage youth vaping or encourage use of more sustainable vaping products. However, this policy may have unintended consequences, particularly for the 2.7 million adults who used to smoke cigarettes and rely on vaping as a harm reduction tool. Among them, 28% use vapes to aid smoking cessation, while 21% rely on them to prevent relapse [16]. Removing disposable vapes, could have limited accessibility of vapes and risked relapse to smoking for adults who were trying to stop smoking. At the time of the ban announcement, reusable products were more expensive and refill options were less accessible than disposables and cigarettes. As a result, if a reusable ran out of e-liquid, a person may have been faced with the choice of experiencing withdrawal, purchasing a costly new starter pack, or opting for the cheaper but more harmful option of buying a pack of cigarettes [17]. The ban on disposable vapes could have also significantly affected those who have never smoked. Previous research found that the age group most impacted would be those aged 18–24, with 7% of people who have never smoked in this group currently using disposable vapes, compared to 1.5% in the general population [18]. It was uncertain how those who have never smoked but were addicted to nicotine would react if they lost access to their usual product, as some may have quit while others might have sought alternatives. This could have led to the use of more harmful nicotine products, potentially increasing health risks rather than reducing them. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) indicates that among people younger than 18 years who vape, 26% reported strong, very strong or extremely strong urges to vape in 2020, compared with nearly half (47%) in 2025 [14]. Given the increase in vaping among this age group over this time was likely due to disposable use among people who do not smoke [19], it is likely that a substantial proportion of young adult non-smoking nicotine users are addicted. However, this assumption is not yet supported by evidence. ... The majority of participants who reported both smoking and vaping said they would smoke more after the ban. When asked how the ban will affect their smoking patterns, D06 said: “Erm yeah, I’ll probably just erm use cigarettes, erm… instead of vapes.” D02 said: “ yeah it [the ban] would one hundred percent increase my smoking tenfold.” D01 also described how smoking cigarettes as a replacement for disposable vapes would be an effective way to stop vaping: > “In a way I think smoking cigarettes is actually a really effective way to quit, erm… because they’re so gross and they smell so horrible and they make your clothes and your breath and your fingers smell. So I think I would yeah use—smoke cigarettes.” This quote from D01 seems to reflect the dominance of disposable vapes among young people — rather than considering using e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, this person describes cigarettes as a means to stop vaping. ... #### Switching to other vapes. Some participants thought people who use disposable vapes will switch to reusable vapes after the ban. For example, D02 said: “there’s so many people I know who got into vaping because of the fruity flavours of disposables. So, will, I take it they’ll just get a reusable, because they’re hooked now.” Some participants made a distinction made between ‘casual vapers’ who might stop vaping and more frequent or ‘serious vapers’ who would switch to reusable vapes. P07 said: “I think if they’re more serious vapers, they’ll probably just get a refill [reusable vape]. They’re not going to be happy about it obviously but if that’s the only alternative that’s what they’re going to have to do. I don’t think it will stop serious vapers, but it might stop… casual, social vapers.” P02 said: “the people who are like addicted and that vape on a daily basis will just switch to, you know, a refillable one but the people that vape less often, I’ve-I’d say for them maybe it [the ban] might deter them a bit.” This depiction of the ‘casual social vaper’ stood out in the same way that was discussed in other sub-themes by participants. It similarly seems to reflect the apparent normalisation and growth in popularity of disposable vapes, as participants liken it to a casual activity that some people take part in, compared to ‘serious vapers’ who are more dependent on nicotine. #### Smoking. Some participants said that people who use disposable vapes might use cigarettes after the ban. D05 described how people who use vapes to smoke less cigarettes may return to smoking cigarettes: “I think you’re really in a big problem if you’re really trying to stop smoking cigarettes and just like can’t buy vapes anymore, so they [will] just go back to smoking cigarettes.” Some participants noted that they knew people who would switch to cigarettes after the ban. P04 said: “ I know a lot of people who like… smoke sometimes but usually have a vape, and so if the vapes got banned they would just start smoking all the time rather than just occasionally.” P05 said: “it [the ban] just doesn’t make any sense to me like I know a lot of my friends… who vape, they’re not going to be buying reusable vapes they’re going to start smoking, which is so much worse for you.” N11 described how people might replace the use of disposable vapes with cigarettes on ‘nights out’: > “People get used to also like holding things as well whilst they like chat on nights out so like, if someone’s going to be smoking like and they can’t vape they might be like oh can I bum [have] a fag off you can I have like a cig, and then… you know… it will continue.” These assumptions regarding the actions of people they know highlighted a feeling that cigarettes may be the chosen option to replace disposable vapes for both people who are addicted to nicotine and those who only vape socially. ... Although many participants in our study said they would switch to reusable vapes after the ban, some said they would use cigarettes instead. Thus, this study suggests that the ban could have caused some young adults to smoke, including those who self-identified as having never smoked cigarettes before the ban. However, quantitative studies should explore the extent to which this behaviour shift has occurred (or not) since the ban. If this shift has occurred, it would be concerning given the increased risk that cigarettes pose to health [3, 42] and the proportion of never-smoking young adults who used disposable vapes before the ban [43]. Awareness of vape products other than disposables varied significantly, which may have affected intentions to use cigarettes, rather than other vaping products that will remain available, although some participants had a greater awareness of other products and still expressed intentions to smoke. Despite evidence suggesting half of adults in the UK believed that vaping is ‘at least or more harmful than smoking’ in 2024 [16], the majority of participants who said they might smoke appeared to have accurate perceptions of the relative harms of vapes compared to cigarettes, including participants who self-identified as having never smoked. This is somewhat in contrast to previous research finding that accurate perceptions of vaping (as less harmful than smoking) are associated with greater likelihood of switching from smoking to vaping among young adults who smoke [44], rather than the other way around. Intentions to smoke after the ban may be even greater among those who have inaccurate perceptions of the relative harms of vapes and cigarettes, but we are unable to infer this from our study [16]. Some participants in our study said they would stop vaping after the ban. Since the UK government announced their plan to ban disposable vapes, the increase in the number of people using vapes in recent years has stabilised. The number of people using disposables has declined, and there has been a shift towards reusable products [45]. Clear communication to young people and adults about the harms of vaping in relation to smoking is necessary to ensure that they do not take up smoking now. Unpublished data from a recent survey of local authorities in the UK (conducted by one of the authors) suggested that many have initiatives to educate young people, but not all are accurately communicating the relative harms or embedding their vaping education with smoking education. Given that some young adults will have been exposed to similar initiatives in their adolescence, more education targeting young adults may be needed.