Will vaping become mainstream on a large scale?

I have a friend who doesn't smoke traditional cigarettes at all, but he puffs on his vape continuously.

Usually, he leans against the wall, exhaling smoke rings like an old steam train.

Once, he was in the back seat of my car and started vaping. Probably afraid I would say something, he preemptively mentioned that e-cigarettes don't contain tar, won't stain the ceiling, and won't blacken the walls, let alone the car.

After saying that, he blew smoke right in my face and asked, "How's that? Doesn't it smell sweet, just like perfume?"

I remained silent.

He kept puffing away in the back, making me doubt I had a high-powered fog machine sitting behind me.

It was winter, the windows were tightly closed, and the entire car was filled with smoke. Probably worried I would crash, he rolled down the window.

Before long, a traffic cop came over and asked if the car was on fire.

I said someone was smoking.

"I thought you were burning coal balls," he replied.

Recently, my friend bought a vape pen, made of some wood, paired with a battery, and spent over ten thousand. Afraid his wife would scold him for wasting money, he asked us to tell her it only cost three hundred.

I thought to myself, I’d give you three thousand if you’d sell me that vape pen.

For most people who vape, it's just a flashy toy. Those without a nicotine addiction still won't take a puff, and those who are addicted find that vaping doesn't satisfy their cravings...

There's a local shop selling e-cigarettes that constantly promotes his products as a way to quit smoking. Since we've known each other for a long time, our conversations have become casual.

He often advises urban ladies to show respect to their parents by buying them e-cigarettes.

He claims e-cigarettes help quit smoking, always using himself as an example, saying he used to have a strong addiction but now hardly smokes since using e-cigarettes.

Then the urban ladies left.

This guy skillfully pulled out a cigarette, slouched on the sofa like Ge You, lit it up in one smooth motion.

Clearly, he was just fooling around.

To say that e-cigarettes help quit smoking is about as effective as chewing gum. With willpower, one can quit; without it, buying a thousand e-cigarettes won't help—quitting smoking is fundamentally about willpower, but most people are unwilling to admit it, which gives some people an opportunity—just like someone who writes poorly. They won't admit it's their fault, instead blaming it on not having a good pen; if they had a good pen, they would write beautifully every day.

Anyone who has practiced writing knows that it’s a mechanical exercise for the fingers. Over time, the fingers will develop strength, and the writing will naturally improve. If you don’t practice, the muscles won’t develop.

Even if you know how a character should be written, it doesn’t come out right. Everyone can imitate beautiful writing when they see it, but can they write it? The lines are uneven and crooked.

Poor handwriting has nothing to do with the pen.

I hold a conservative view on e-cigarettes helping to quit smoking.

In fact, what e-cigarettes sell is not cigarettes, but a kind of "cool culture." This "cool culture" can only become popular among a certain group without corresponding policy support.

The examples above are limited to certain high-smoke DIY atomizers; these types of e-cigarettes are mostly used for blowing smoke rings and showing off.

As for those that use tobacco sticks and taste just like real cigarettes, they do not fall into the aforementioned category.

However, such e-cigarettes are hard to gain traction domestically. The small e-cigarettes for quitting smoking often have three hundred to five hundred puffs, and after a few puffs, they start leaking oil and taste terrible. It is said that IQOS does not have this issue.

IQOS is very popular in Japan, and friends who have tried it say it resembles real cigarettes.

However, surveys show that IQOS has not completely replaced traditional cigarettes.

55.7% of smokers indicated they could accept e-cigarettes.

A street survey showed that among Japanese people over forty, about 80% still prefer traditional cigarettes and are not interested in e-cigarettes.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, for those trying to quit smoking in Japan, the success rate of quitting is 40% lower for those using e-cigarettes compared to those who do not use them. Those receiving medication treatment at smoking cessation clinics have a higher success rate than those who do not receive treatment.