Vaping was supposed to get people off smoking. Now e-cig users are switching to cigarettes to try to quit

More than 60 years after the U.S. Surgeon General released its landmark report on the dangers of smoking, a new trend has emerged that defies conventional public health wisdom. While celebrities are increasingly seen with cigarettes in paparazzi photos, a more concerning shift is occurring among the general public: individuals are actively switching from vaping back to combustible cigarettes. This reversal of the original intent behind e-cigarettes—which were marketed as harm-reduction tools—suggests a profound failure in public health messaging that could have lasting consequences for nicotine users worldwide.

Data from recent studies highlights the scale of this issue. An ASH-commissioned survey by Talbot Mills Research found that 14% of smokers and former smokers in New Zealand reported using cigarettes to quit vaping. Similarly, in the UK, 19% of adults cited cigarettes as a quitting aid for vaping. These figures are particularly alarming when compared to CDC data showing that while smoking rates in the U.S. have dropped from 42.4% in 1965 to 9.1% in 2025, the perception of risk has shifted dramatically. Ben Youdan, ASH Director, noted that this is not a trivial misunderstanding but rather misinformation leading to significant harm.

The history of this phenomenon traces back to the introduction of e-cigarettes in 2006 and the subsequent rise of devices like Juul. Initially, these products were designed to help smokers transition away from combustible tobacco. However, as public health campaigns intensified their focus on the dangers of vaping, a disconnect formed. Research from the UT Southwestern Medical Center indicates that the percentage of people who perceive e-cigarettes as more harmful than combustible cigarettes grew from 3% in 2012 to 30% in 2022, while those viewing them as less harmful plummeted.

The ramifications of this trend are significant. Experts like Michael Siegel, a professor at Tufts University, argue that this is an overcorrection in public health messaging. By equating the risks of vaping with the extreme dangers of combustible cigarettes—which cause 480,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone—health authorities have inadvertently made smoking seem like a viable alternative. This misperception may discourage users from seeking safer nicotine alternatives, effectively keeping them tethered to the most lethal form of consumption.

Looking ahead, the outlook remains complex. While there is no evidence of a massive resurgence in youth smoking, the fear is that current nicotine users will remain addicted to cigarettes due to the false belief that they are no better or worse than vaping. Experts suggest that the path forward requires honest, nuanced communication that distinguishes between the relative risks of different nicotine products. Rather than relying on blanket anti-nicotine messaging, authorities must provide the public with accurate data to ensure that harm reduction remains a viable strategy for those struggling with addiction.