Greece Vaping Study Finds E-Cig Use Largely Confined To Smokers

While there are clearly concerns over e-cigarettes getting the next generation of adults hooked on nicotine, the findings of a new study conducted by researchers in Greece may put some of these concerns to rest.

The study, which was published in the Harm Reduction Journal, found e-cigarette use in Greece to be “largely confined” to smokers, both current and former. In addition, they found e-cig use among those who had never smoked to be “extremely rare.”

Adding to their findings, the researchers noted that most of their study’s participants overestimate how harmful e-cigarettes are in comparison to smoking. A prior, unrelated study conducted by a company called Pinney Associates found that most people incorrectly link nicotine to cancer while no such link has been established.

Back to the findings of the Greece study, the researchers found that only 0.2% of the current e-cigarette users participating in their study to be “never smokers” — a term used to describe those who had never smoked.

As for the misconceptions surrounding the relatively safety of e-cigarettes in comparison to traditional cigarettes, the researchers found that only one out of twenty participants considered e-cigs to be a lot less harmful than smoking. Meanwhile, Public Health England’s independently conducted e-cig review found e-cigarettes to be around 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes.