- In a lab study of 41 adults who both smoke and vape, limiting vape flavour and device options made cigarettes more likely to be chosen
- When only a tobacco-flavoured vape was available, people chose cigarettes more often and vaped less
- Even when non-tobacco flavours were allowed, having to switch to a less familiar device still pushed people toward cigarettes
- The authors say policies that narrow vape options may unintentionally increase smoking among adults who use both products
For years, regulators have focused on cutting down access to flavoured vapes, worried they attract young people and non-smokers.
But for millions of adults who already both smoke and vape, those flavours and devices may be doing something different: helping them choose vaping instead of lighting a cigarette.
A new laboratory study of adults who “dual use” both cigarettes and flavoured vapes suggests that restricting vape flavours and device types could push this group back toward combustible cigarettes – the more harmful option on the nicotine “continuum of risk”.
What the researchers did
The study followed 41 adults in the United States who regularly used both cigarettes and flavoured vapes. On average, they:
- Smoked on 22.1 days per month, about 6.7 cigarettes per day
- Vaped on 26.9 days per month, with around 11.7 vape sessions per day
Everyone in the study normally used non-tobacco-flavoured e-liquids (for example fruit, menthol or dessert flavours), and they all owned their own preferred device.
People whose usual flavour was tobacco were deliberately excluded, so the researchers could see what happened when non-tobacco flavours weren’t available.
Across three lab sessions, each participant repeatedly chose between taking two puffs of:
- Their own vape and usual flavour, or
- A study device with a non-tobacco flavour, or
- A study device with a tobacco flavour, versus taking two puffs of their usual brand of cigarette, or abstaining altogether.
Each person completed 10 short “choice trials” per session, deciding each time whether to vape, smoke, or abstain. The researchers also asked how much participants liked each vape option, whether they would want more of it, and how much they’d be willing to pay for a day’s worth.
What happened when vape options were restricted
The pattern was clear. When the available vape was less appealing or less familiar, people shifted away from vaping and toward cigarettes.
1. Tobacco-flavoured vapes were least popular
Participants rated their own vapes as more appealing than either of the study vapes. They liked:
- Their own device and usual flavour the most
- The non-tobacco-flavoured study vape next
- The tobacco-flavoured study vape the least
They also said they’d pay more for a day’s worth of their own vape than for either study option.
2. Tobacco-only flavour nudged people toward cigarettes
When the only vape available was the tobacco-flavoured study device, participants:
- Chose to vape less often than when they could use their own device
- Chose cigarettes more often than in the own-device condition
- Were also more likely to choose abstinence (neither vaping nor smoking) than in the other conditions
In other words, limiting vapes to tobacco flavour didn’t just cut vaping – it also increased cigarette use among this group of dual users.
3. Just switching devices mattered too
Even when a non-tobacco flavour was available, simply having to use a study device instead of their own preferred device led to:
- More choices for cigarettes compared with when participants could use their own vape
This suggests that device restrictions – not just flavour bans – can affect how often dual users choose cigarettes.
Why this matters for policy
The study focused on a specific, high-risk group: adults who already smoke cigarettes and use non-tobacco-flavoured vapes. These are people for whom vaping may be replacing at least some cigarette smoking, and therefore reducing exposure to toxicants found in combustible products.
The findings suggest that if regulations force these users to give up their preferred flavours, and/or switch from their usual device to a limited set of authorised products, some of them may respond by smoking more cigarettes rather than simply quitting nicotine altogether.
The authors argue that “restricting EC characteristics such as device type and flavor may increase consumption of CC among people who use both products,” especially when the regulated products are less appealing than what people use now. They note that this is in line with real-world sales data showing cigarette sales rising after some vape flavour bans.
The authors make clear this was a small, controlled lab study with 41 participants, not a nationwide trial. People’s choices were measured over short sessions with 10 trials each, not over months or years in everyday life. All participants had limited experience with the study vapes, and their favourite flavour or exact brand wasn’t always perfectly matched.
The study also excluded people who already preferred tobacco-flavoured vapes, so the results mainly apply to the majority of adult vapers who favour non-tobacco flavours.
Still, the experiment offers rare, real-time behavioural data. It shows that when you narrow vape options for dual users, some of them appear more likely to choose cigarettes.
