Walking around day to day you will usually see someone who is about 50 and younger using a vape or e-cigarette. However,  people around 50 and above usually will just smoke a cigarette. I think that’s just because of how they were raised and what they were raised around. People in the older range might be decentiaded to cigarettes because when they were young that’s what they were raised around. Similarly, many younger people were raised around vapes, so its not that shocking for us to see people walking around using a vape or e-cigarette. 

Cigarettes were invented in the early 19th century as vapes/e-cigarettes were created in 2003. The amount of cigarettes bought in a year is 203.7 billion as of 2020, but for vapes, they are expected to reach 40 million by 2023. 

The history behind vapes is that they were invented by a Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik, who initially developed the device to serve as an alternative to conventional smoking. In addition to the battery component, an e-cigarette comprises an atomizer and a cartridge containing either a nicotine or a non-nicotine liquid solution. That being said, the history behind cigarettes is a bit different.  By the time of the Civil War, cigarette use had become popular. Cigarettes are tobacco, which can also be found/used in pipes and products known as chewing tobacco and snuff. As popularity grew, there was then a federal tax imposed in 1864. 

Currently, vapes and e-cigarettes are being  bought more and more with the target audience of minors. From a sales point of view, vapes and e-cigarettes appear to a younger crowd, whereas cigarettes are more popular with an older audience.  

Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it’s still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings, and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. In an interview with some anonymous students from Clear Creek Amana High School I asked them which they thought was “better” — vaping or smoking cigarettes? 

One person explained, “Vapes are better –on god.” And then another person chimed in and added, “Vaping is better because there are more flavors to choose from.” And finally, a third person added their thoughts, “Vaping has better health benefits and is more accessible than smoking a cigarette.” So after all the facts and the interviews, I have come to the conclusion that vapes are better than cigarettes.