Class Legal

Vapes

Also called: cigalikes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-hookah, e-liquids, puff bars, vape pens, vape pods, vape sticks

Nicotine vapes are electronic devices designed to allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapor instead of the smoke that results from burning tobacco. Vapes sold illegally may contain other drugs. Vapes are also available without nicotine (or other drugs).

Substances found within cannabis such as CBD (legal) or THC (illegal) might also be sold as ready-made vapes or vape juices. These may resemble e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping devices. They may claim to contain cannabis chemicals like CBD and THC but may instead contain synthetic cannabinoids (Spice). In some cases, such illicit vapes have also been found to contain other drugs such as ketamine. Very little is known about the health impact of vaping cannabis chemicals or other drugs. Find out more here.

Quick info

How the drug works varies from person to person

How you might feel

Dizzy, headache, nauseous or mildly stimulated, relaxed.

Effects on your body

Increased blood pressure and heart rate, faster breathing.

How long it takes to work

Effects peak 5 - 10 minutes after your first puff.

How long the effects last

The effects last two to three hours after your last puff.

Nicotine makes the heart beat much faster.
This can make you feel nauseous/sick the first time you use it.
Nicotine is addictive and can be hard to stop using once you’ve started.
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it doesn’t mean it’s harmless.

If you or someone else needs urgent help after taking drugs or drinking, call 999 for an ambulance. Tell the crew everything you know. It could save their life.

Call 999 What else to do in an emergency

How does it make you feel?

When you vape, the nicotine in the vape is what gives you the buzz. This feeling comes from a release of adrenaline which stimulates the body and causes your blood pressure and heart rate to increase, making you breathe faster. Nicotine also activates areas of your brain that are involved in producing feelings of pleasure and reward. If you haven’t vaped nicotine before, you might feel one or more of the following effects:

dizziness
headache
racing heart
nausea/possible vomiting
stomach cramps
weakness

People who use nicotine regularly build up a tolerance to the immediate short-term effects so after a while you might feel:

mild stimulation
increased ability to concentrate
relaxation
increasing urges to vape

Some of the side effects to vaping are:

coughing
dry mouth and throat
shortness of breath
mouth and throat irritation
headaches

Vaping drugs such as THC, CBD or synthetic cannabinoids, will produce the same effects as when smoked. However, vape products may vary in strength, and it can be difficult to control the dosage.

Depending on the type of device and nicotine strength, the first effects begin within a few minutes and peak at 5 to 10 minutes after your first puff. The effects continue to increase while you use the vape and may carry on building for 5 to 10 minutes after your last puff, falling steadily over the next two to three hours.

Vaping any drugs will have similar effects to using those drugs in other form, but smoking or vaping will always make you feel the effects earlier than if they were ingested or snorted. This might increase the risks of overdosing and can also be more addictive.

Physical health risks

Nicotine vaping is recommended by the NHS as a way for adults to stop smoking. But it isn’t recommended for non-smokers, especially children and young people under 18. Vaping is less harmful than smoking but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Smoking gives you nicotine by burning tobacco, which creates many harmful toxins that can cause serious illnesses including cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke.

Vaping gives you nicotine by heating e-liquid, which creates fewer toxins and at lower levels. In general, smokers who switch to vaping reduce their exposure to a wide range of toxic substances. This includes tar and carbon monoxide, very harmful compounds which are produced by cigarettes but not by vapes.

But vaping still exposes users to some toxins and we don’t yet know what the risks might be in the longer term.

Vaping drugs such as THC is generally less physically harmful than smoking cannabis. This is because smoking cannabis creates harmful toxins that can cause serious diseases such as cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke. Vapes are only less harmful if they have not been prepared with any other harmful substance. There is no way for you to know whether a “THC” vape has, as it won’t have gone through quality controls, like legal nicotine vapes do.

Mental health risks

Nicotine is an addictive substance which can be hard to stop using once you’ve started. Also, nicotine may be riskier for young people than for adults – there’s some evidence that in adolescence the brain is more sensitive to its effects. Nicotine is a toxin, and poisoning can happen if larger doses are taken. Find out more about nicotine.

Vaping cannabis chemicals has the same mental health risks as other cannabis products. Vaping other drugs has the same mental health risks as using those drugs in other form.

Nicotine vaping products are covered by regulations to protect users, including maximum nicotine strength and bans on certain ingredients. But some disposable vapes on sale are illegal and don’t meet UK quality and safety regulations. They might look like the real thing, but they aren’t so it isn’t possible to know what’s actually in them. Non-nicotine vapes are not covered by the same regulations as nicotine vapes and are not without risk.

What does it look like?

Vapes work by heating a solution (e-liquid) that typically contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings and nicotine. This creates a vapour which is inhaled. Vapes come in different shapes and sizes including:

Vapes come in different shapes and sizes including:

Vape pens/sticks/pods and puff bars – these are shaped like a highlighter pen or flash drive and are usually disposable, but sometimes rechargeable and refillable with e-liquid cartridges.
Cigalikes – these are designed to look like cigarettes and can be disposable or rechargeable and refillable.

E-liquids come in different nicotine strengths ranging from 0 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml and come in different flavours.

Can you get addicted?

Nicotine is an addictive substance, and you can become dependent on vapes, especially if you vape nicotine regularly.

Giving up nicotine can be difficult because the body has to get used to functioning without it. Withdrawal symptoms can include cravings, irritability, anxiety, trouble concentrating, headaches and other mental and physical symptoms. Find out more about nicotine.

Vaping THC is addictive in the same way as cannabis, and the same goes for other drugs.

Class: Legal

Additional law details

In the UK it is illegal to sell nicotine vaping products to someone under the age of 18, or for adults to buy these products for them. Any drug that is contained in a vape has the same legal status as in other forms.

THC and synthetic cannabinoids, like cannabis, are Class B drugs, which means they’re illegal to have for yourself, give away or sell.

CBD is a legal substance, and CBD vapes are sold legally in the UK, but if you buy it from an illicit supplier, it could have other illicit drugs in it.

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Vapes

Quick info

How you might feel

Effects on your body

How long it takes to work

How long the effects last

Common risks

How does it make you feel?

Physical health risks

Mental health risks

What does it look like?

Can you get addicted?

Additional law details

Worried about vapes — yours or someone else's?

Worried about your own use

Find support near you

Was this information useful?

Vapes

Quick info

How you might feel

Effects on your body

How long it takes to work

How long the effects last

Common risks

How it feels

How does it make you feel?

Duration

The risks

How it looks, tastes and smells

How do people take it?

Addiction

The law

Worried about vapes — yours or someone else's?

Worried about your own use

Find support near you

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