Vaping has been marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, and even as a smoking cessation tool, but is vaping really better for you? Both smoking and vaping involve inhaling substances into your lungs, and both carry risks. But, they’re not exactly the same. Smoking delivers hundreds of toxic chemicals into your body, and while vaping involves fewer, it still contains harmful chemicals that can negatively impact your lung and heart health, fertility, and immunity. It’s time to settle this once and for all: is vaping really better than smoking? 

Health risks: lung damage, cardiovascular disease, cancer, weakened immunity, delayed brain development.

Chemicals: Contains chemicals known to cause cancer like acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, Diacetyl - a chemical linked to “popcorn lungs,” Acrolein - a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds, which can cause irreversible lung damage.

Safety: While thought of to be less harmful than smoking, vaping contains plenty of health risks, including cancer, and can be especially harmful to kids and young adults whose brains are still developing.

How to quit: Nicotine Replacement Therapy combined with behavioral support is the most effective way to quit. Check out Jones NRT mints and the free Jones app.

Health risks: Various cancers (lung, kidneys, stomach, mouth etc), cataracts, reduced sperm count, asthma, heart disease, cataracts, inflammation. 

Chemicals: There are 70 carcinogens in cigarette smoke known to cause cancer.

Safety: Smoking is a major health risk and is banned in many private and public spaces.

How to quit: Nicotine Replacement Therapy combined with behavioral support is the most effective way to quit. Check out Jones NRT mints and the free Jones app.

If you’re vaping to quit smoking, Jones NRT mints are a healthier and more effective way to quit. 

While vaping is often thought of as a "safer" option than smoking, it still comes with risks, many of which are yet to be fully understood. Here's what we know so far about the long-term effects of vaping:

•  Lung damage: Vaping can cause damage to lung tissue. Some studies  have linked vaping to conditions like “popcorn lung,” a severe lung disease associated with inhaling certain chemicals found in flavored e-liquids.

• Risk of cardiovascular disease: Vaping can impair the functioning of blood vessels and people who smoke and vape have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to people who just smoke. 

• Free radicals: Vaping releases free radicals into the body, which are unstable molecules that can damage cells and lead to cancer.

•  Immune system weakened: E-cigarette use can suppress the immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and other illnesses.

•  Brain development delays: Vaping can delay brain development in children, teenagers, and fetuses, which could lead to long-term cognitive issues and behavioral problems.

While vaping eliminates some of the most harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke, it still exposes users to dangerous carcinogens, making it far from safe.

While more studies on vaping have come out recently, smoking has been studied extensively. Its long-term health impacts are well-documented. Here are some of the most severe consequences of smoking:

•  Reduced sperm count: Smoking can affect fertility by reducing sperm quality and quantity, making it harder to conceive.

•  Pregnancy risks: For women or people with a uterus who smoke, the risk of pregnancy loss and congenital disabilities increases dramatically.

•  Cataracts: Smoking has been linked to the development of cataracts, which can impair vision.

•  Impaired immune function: Like vaping, smoking weakens the immune system, leaving the body less capable of fighting off infections.

•  Increased inflammation: Smoking triggers chronic inflammation throughout the body, which can lead to various health issues.

•  Cancer risk: Smoking is a leading cause of cancer and can lead to cancers of the lungs, kidneys, stomach, and nearly any other part of the body.

•  Asthma: Smoking can trigger asthma attacks and make symptoms worse.

•  Heart disease: Smoking causes blockages in veins and arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The risks associated with smoking are severe and affect nearly every organ in the body. The good news is, many of these risks can be reduced or even reversed by quitting smoking.

Whether you're smoking traditional cigarettes or vaping, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health. We know quitting isn’t easy, we’ve had to do it ourselves, but it’s not impossible. Here’s what you can do (and how Jones can help):

•  Set a Quit Date: Give yourself a goal as the first step and set a date to quit. Mark it in your calendar and begin preparing for that day by making a plan that suits your lifestyle. We do this for you in the Jones app. 

•  Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy  (NRT): NRT products, such as Jones nicotine mints, can help reduce cravings by delivering a controlled dose of nicotine without harmful chemicals like those found in cigarettes or vape juice. NRT not only helps reduce withdrawal symptoms but can help you decrease your nicotine dependency overtime. 

•  Get support from the Jones community: Quitting is easier when you have support. Use the  Jones app to connect with others on the same journey. The app also provides science-backed behavioral support to keep you on track.

•  Be accountable: Tell your friends and family about your plan to quit. Having people who can keep you accountable increases your chances of success.

Quitting isn’t easy, but with the right tools and support, it’s certainly possible.

When comparing smoking and vaping, it's clear that neither is safe. While vaping might reduce exposure to some harmful chemicals found in cigarettes, it’s far from harmless. But more research is needed. Studies on vaping are still in their early stages. Although e-cigarette aerosol contains fewer contaminants than tobacco smoke, that doesn’t make it safe. Here’s why:

•  Nicotine exposure: Both vaping and smoking deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive and harmful, especially for developing brains in teenagers, children, and fetuses in pregnant women.

•  Harmful chemicals: E-cigarette vapor contains substances like diacetyl (linked to lung disease), cancer-causing chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals (like nickel, tin, and lead).

•  Secondhand exposure: Just like cigarette smoke, e-cigarette vapor can expose non-users to harmful chemicals.

•  Dangerous e-liquids: The liquids used in e-cigarettes can also pose risks. Ingesting or absorbing these liquids through the skin or eyes has led to cases of poisoning in both children and adults.

•  Serious lung injury: Thousands of cases of serious lung injury, including deaths, have been linked to vaping. The cause is not fully understood, but the CDC advises against using e-cigarettes.

•  Increased public health crisis:  Perhaps the most concerning risk of vaping is that it could reverse the progress made in the fight against smoking. By making nicotine use more socially acceptable again, vaping might re-normalize smoking behavior, undoing years of public health efforts.