Vapes, which can now be found at every party, classroom, and even offices, haven’t always been marketed in the way they are now. For a long time, vapes were genuinely used by people who wanted to halt or lessen nicotine usage. But at some point, factories in Shenzhen, China, caught drift of the vape trend and began producing vapes at a record rate, stuffing five to ten times the previous amount of nicotine into these handy little devices. Commercial success was immediate, so much so that about 90% of the world’s vapes are now designed in only 1,000 factories in this very region.

The only thing seeming to stop these vapes from coming back in? Tariffs. As of April 2025, Chinese made vapes must undergo a 170% tax before entering the US. And yes, while vaping is a highly addictive activity, studies show that when prices mount as high as they are now, consumers do actually balk at paying more. Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself; after all, having to spend double or even triple the amount that you did before might be the nudge you needed to quit.

If the prospect of paying much, much more for your vape isn’t scary enough, the conditions of the factories themselves are enough to leave you wondering if it is actually a good thing that the tariffs are in place. In the past year, videos of individual workers having to test hundreds of vapes a day have gone viral. In these clips, a sole factory worker is forced to put his bare mouth on these plastic vapes, before puffing to see that they actually work. Behind them, rows of plastic are filled with unlabeled liquids before being shipped off in mass boxes. At no point during this process are there any official inspections, meaning we truly don’t know how they’re made, whose mouth has been on them, and how exactly they get here.

The journey from Schenzhen to your neighborhood smoke shop is a nebulous one that involves several import companies. But what’s clear is that by the time a vape shows up on the shelf, they’ve been packaged to be as enticing as possible. Walk into any smoke shop, and you’ll be flooded with options, each one screaming for your attention. If flavors like “frosted apple,” or “lychee coconut ice” don’t seem like outright candy, there’s also a new generation of vapes that have integrated LED screens. These new vapes allow you to track the number of puffs you have left, locate your vape’s last location, and in some cases, play basic games. One new model even features a plush silicone ball for users to squeeze while vaping to “relieve stress,” despite the extensive studies that demonstrate how nicotine actually spikes your anxiety.

The irony of these new generation vapes isn’t lost on everyone. The FDA has authorized only 34 vaping products, none of which are flavored or disposable. Yet one Oklahoma registry found more than 12,000 vape products on the market, with a significant portion claiming to be FDA authorized (hint: they weren’t). In reality, these vapes aren’t closely inspected by officials in China, or the FDA, meaning that they’ve become supercharged with sugary flavors and bells and whistles gimmicks.

During one congressional hearing on our current vaping crisis, Senator Dick Durbin couldn’t hide his amazement: “These illegal products, clearly designed for children by their flavors, are being sold in the shadow of FDA’s building…How is that allowed to happen?” We’re not politicians, but if we had to guess, we’d say it’s because nicotine is incredibly addictive, and quitting without help is tough.

Sure, the marketing for nicotine might be misleading, but at the end of the day are they actually harmful? Shouldn’t these vapes be better than smoking (and burning) traditional cigarettes? Despite the wishful thinking of many vapers and ex vapers (us included!), the answer is unfortunately no. These vapes aren’t just fun flavored smoke…they’re unregulated devices that are often filled with dangerous chemicals and heavy metals. Vape smoke has been found to contain carcinogens, as well as toxic metal nanoparticles from the vape itself, such as nickel, chromium, cadmium, and even aluminum. 

To be clear, nicotine alone can be managed with some safety, but at doses this high, nicotine can affect nutrition absorption, ruin one’s sense of smell and taste, and increase anxiety. At the end of the day, there’s simply no safe way to vape, just as there is no safe way to smoke tobacco.

Thinking about quitting? You might not have a flashing vape to help you relieve stress, but after just a few weeks, you probably won’t need the stress reliever in the first place. Immediately after quitting, your blood pressure will drop, your blood oxygen levels will increase, and your energy will naturally improve. Within a week, you’ll be breathing easier and physical activity will become easier. Within two weeks, nicotine-related anxiety and depression plummet—not a bad trade for just a few minutes of “relief.”

If you want to quit, but don’t know where to start, don’t worry—Jones can help. Our nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) mints are actually FDA approved and designed to curb cravings. You can also find extra support in our app , including a whole community of quitters, just like you, ready to help you stay motivated and on track. Nicotine is a rigged game, but with just a little bit of support, you can stop playing for good.