Teen vaping linked to higher risk of smoking, marijuana, and alcohol use, study finds

Teen vaping appears to raise the risk of smoking, marijuana, alcohol use, and a handful of health issues, according to a new analysis.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, tied e-cigarette use among teenagers and people in their early 20s to elevated risks of asthma, cough, injuries, and poor mental health.

It is not clear whether vaping actually leads to these problems, or if young people who engage in risky behaviours or have poor health are simply more likely to pick up vaping.

Last year, 22 per cent of 15- and 16-year-olds in Europe said they vaped on a regular basis, according to a survey in 37 countries. That’s up from 14 per cent five years earlier.

The researchers said the links between vaping and other issues were clear enough to make the case for stronger policy action to prevent young people from getting hooked on e-cigarettes.

The latest findings “support stronger public health measures to protect teens from the risks associated with vaping,” said Su Golder, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor in health science at the University of York in the United Kingdom.

The analysis included data from 56 studies that had been published between 2016 and 2024.

It found that young people who vape are about three times as likely to start smoking as those who do not use e-cigarettes. They are also significantly more likely to use marijuana, drink alcohol, and binge drink.

There were also potential health risks tied to youth vaping. Asthma diagnoses, for example, were between 20 per cent and 36 per cent higher among young people who used e-cigarettes, and some reviews found they were at higher risk of suicide and brain injuries.

Some of these health issues may emerge when young people transition from vapes to traditional tobacco cigarettes, said Greg Hartwell, one of the study’s authors and a clinical assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene Tropical Medicine.

“We found consistent evidence around transitions to smoking which of course, in turn, opens the door to the multitude of harms that conventional cigarettes bring,” Hartwell said.

However, the authors said more research is needed to determine whether these are cause and effect relationships.

As it stands, the findings “cannot say anything about what came first,” said Ann McNeill, a professor of tobacco addiction at King College London who was not involved with the study.

When it comes to mental health issues, for example, it is not clear “whether vaping caused the mental health condition or whether the mental health condition caused young people to vape,” McNeill said.