Tobacco: Recovering Its Puff in the UK?

The journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research has noted a strange phenomenon. The number of UK folk using non-cigarette tobacco (in cigars, pipes and shista) grew from 210,000 in early 2020, to nearly 1,000,000 by mid 2022. Even stranger, many of these 'new' upmarket tobacco smokers were young adults (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/16/britain-young-people-pipes-cigars). Folk seem to be being sold idea that cigars are a more refined way of 'appreciating' tobacco. Smoking cigars, however, carries an increased risk of lung cancer for both the smoker and people nearby. Vapes have been advocated, to help cigarette smokers 'kick' their dangerous habit. It seems essential, however, to determine whether vape-using (with the consequent nicotine addiction) acts as a conduit to later cigar and pipe smoking. Many school-aged children are using flavoured vapes. The generated profits may appeal to the tobacco companies but we could be condemning the next generation to a more expensive version of ill-health.