“About 62 million have reported using nicotine-based vapes whereas 44 million were found to smoke cigarettes in the past 30 days.”
The data comes from a national survey done on young Americans aged over 12 in 2021.
One interesting fact here is that— despite being different from traditional sticks, vaping has one feature similar to cigarettes. ‘The nicotine.’
Just because of the presence of nicotine, it’s safe to say that there are cigarettes in the device! However, to find out the total number, you should know the formula and variables. That way, you can calculate how many sticks a device can carry.
Note that the number varies based on juice and nicotine strength. But you may find 3 to 8 packs of cigarettes in a single vape.
Now a question can pop up here— how the nicotine content in vapes is compared to our traditional cigarettes?
Well, that’s what we’ll discuss.
Summary: How Many Packs Of Cigarettes Are In A Vape?
- Nicotine content and amount in both cigarettes and vapes are measured quite differently.
- Nicotine absorbs into your body in different patterns but the after process and effects are similar.
- There might be 3 to 8 packs of cigarettes in a single vape.
Nicotine Content
One of the primary agents in both cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
Nicotine is a stimulant chemical compound. It’s extracted right from tobacco plants. Not only is it super addictive but harmful as well.
Different research papers have detailed the toxicity of nicotine. When heated, the content releases fumes carrying multiple nasty chemicals. Some of them are–
- Nitrogen oxides
- Carbon monoxide
- Aldehydes
- Nitric oxide
- Tobacco-based nitrosamines
Sadly despite the harmful effects, both cigarettes and vapes bear the tobacco agent. Why?
Because it’s addictive.
The tobacco agent stimulates your brain, creates multiple feelings (pleasure, relaxation, and lightheadedness), and triggers you to keep using the product.
The good news is that— experts are trying to formulate safer synthetic nicotine. Lab-made nicotine is less likely to have the risks of tobacco-derived products like tar and carbon monoxide.
Nicotine in Cigarettes
A single stick has about 12 to 15 mg of nicotine. Surprisingly, your body takes roughly 10% of the content. Experts say, “A person absorbs 1 to 1.5 mg from each cig.”
When you light a regular cigarette, the heat causes the tobacco inside the stick to burn. This releases the nicotine along with other partners in crime.
As you inhale the smoke, the agent goes through your mouth, enters the lungs, and absorbs into your bloodstream. Then, it travels through the blood vessels only to reach your brain. You feel the effect within seconds of smoking.
Nicotine in Vapes
Vape e-juice has different nicotine strengths, mostly between 0mg and 24mg. The strength starting from 12mg is equivalent to the dosage used in traditional cigarettes.
You’ll see different types of vaping devices like—
These types can influence the amount of nicotine delivered to your body through each puff.
As for the content absorption, it’s lower than what the e-juice actually holds. For each puff, you take in around 0.072mg to 2mg. Researchers say, “There’s 14.4 to 32.8 mg of nicotine per pod at 200 puffs.”
Although the delivery process is similar, the technique is different.
As you take a puff, your device heats the e-juice first, then turns it into these massive vapor clouds. When you inhale the smoke, it carries the nicotine straight to your lungs > then to the bloodstream > and finally to your brain.
Within 30 seconds, you get the effect!
Comparing Nicotine Absorption
4 Factors Affecting Nicotine Absorption
1. Puff DurationYou might want to take a look at your style of puffing.
Because it influences the amount of nicotine you inhale.
Longer puffs create bigger vaporization. So, they feed more nicotine into your bloodstream through your mouth and lungs than a short, sweet drag.
For instance—
A 5-second puff can get around 1.5-2mg of nicotine inside your system whereas a 2-second puff delivers around 0.5-1mg.
2. Frequency of VapingDo you puff frequently?
This can influence nicotine absorption too.
More puffing sesh takes more nicotine to your body. According to a 2020 study, “a single puff of E-cig can trigger the nicotine concentration in the brain to rise quickly.”
The paper further adds that— it takes around 27 seconds to reach 50% of maximum brain nic concentration.
If that’s what a single drag can do, then the more puff you take, the more the nicotine delivery will be. Not only will it lead to the spread of the agent across the lungs, blood, and brain but cause negative impacts on them.
3. Device Power
No matter the type, every vape has varying power settings.
Different power outputs can also affect how much nicotine will go into your body.
These are mainly measured in watts (W). They affect the vaporization of your e-juice at first. If your device is set to higher power, it’ll produce more vapor and create bigger clouds of aerosol.
Result– more absorption of nicotine by the body.
Usually, vapes like sub-ohms, MTL, and mods have high power settings. The wattage rating can range from 50W to beyond 200W!
For example–
A mod set at 60W can produce 3mg of nicotine per puff. However a disposable at 20W may produce only around 1.5 mg per puff.
4. Vape Type
This is another player, playing a key role.
As mentioned, the kind of vape you’re using can also impact the nicotine absorption into your blood. For instance—
- High-power mods heat and vaporize more juice at once. So, it tends to deliver more nicotine to the mouth in each puff.
- Meanwhile, low-power disposables or pods heat juice but generate less vapor. So, there will be less nicotine absorbed when vaping.
That said, many disposables offer high strengths of nicotine to give you perks similar to those with high power output. Check out some of the best nicotine vapes, in case you want to try them.
Packs of Cigarettes Equivalent to a Vape
The number of cigarettes or packs in a vape tends to vary. It mostly depends on four factors.
- Nicotine Strength
- E-Juice Volume or Tank capacity
- Device Type
- Number of sticks in packs
Most vapes have around 3 to 8 packs of cigs more or less, (in case there are 20 sticks in a pack).
There’s a formula to find out this number of cigarette packs.
You have to know two variables: Nicotine absorbed from each stick and total nicotine in the device.
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So, the formula would be– To find out the number of packs, the formula would be— |
Disposable Vapes
Super popular variant among youths. It’s not only convenient but easy to use too.
A disposable vape has around 1-6 ml of e-juice. Let’s say 3.5 ml on average. Each milliliter provides close to 300 puffs. So, you get 1050 puffs with 3.5 ml liquid.
Now, you’ll mostly see around 5% or 50 mg/ml nicotine content in disposables. In that case,
So, a disposable vape with 50 mg/ml and 3.5 ml of juice, offering 1060 puffs, has around 6 packs of cigarettes.
Refillable Pod Systems
Another superstar among young adults.
Each refillable pod system carries 2 ml of e-juice. The nicotine content? It might be between 30 and 50 mg/ml.
To calculate, let’s opt for 40 mg/ml on average.
In that case,
So, you get 3 packs of cigarettes in refillable vape, only if there’s 40 mg/ml and 2 ml of juice.
Variable Wattage Devices
Many give you the freedom to customize nicotine levels. That’s variable wattage vape or mod for you.
The main feature is that— it lets you adjust the power or watt and e-juice type. Most products have bigger tanks, so they hold a lot of liquids. The range starts from 4 to 10 ml per tank.
As for the nicotine levels— these go from 0 to 36 mg/ml.
Let’s go with 8ml for the juice and 24 mg/ml for the nicotine level.
In that case,
This means you’ll find 7 packs of cigarettes in variable wattage devices with 8ml juice and 24mg/ml nicotine.
Health Considerations
Since its inception, vapes have been holding the crown of “safer than your traditional sticks.”
It’s true to some extent. How?
The device doesn’t burn tobacco like the traditional stick. Instead, it heats the juice first; then turns it into this big vapor cloud.
Yes, there’s nicotine. Yet studies suggest that vaping nicotine is less harmful than the one used in tobacco-rooted cigarettes.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found solid evidence in 2020 indicating that vapes expose you to far fewer potentially toxic substances than cigarettes. They also mentioned it in their report.
Besides, researchers are also trying to come up with different formulations and make synthetic nicotine safer than tobacco ones.
Addiction
When it comes to addiction, you’ll notice an interesting pattern. A survey by Tobacco Control mentions that—
The use frequency of vaping among youths went up in the US. Then again, more recent smokers felt stronger urges to smoke cigarettes than vapers.
The survey assessed people who smoked and vaped in the past 30 days. As per the paper, 59.3% felt strong urges to smoke whereas 46.1% felt strong urges to vape.
In short, both vaping and smoking infect you with addiction.
Health Risks
Here’s the list of common hazards that both vaping and smoking can lead you to—
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Short-term Hazards |
Long-Term Hazards |
|
Throat and mouth irritation |
Lung damage or cancer |
|
Coughing |
Heart disease and Cardiovascular issues |
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Shortness of breath |
Respiratory disease |
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Nausea |
Reduced immune function |
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Dizziness |
Stroke |
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Headaches |
Potential harm to brain development |
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Increased blood pressure |
Reproductive issues |
Even though vapes have fewer health risks, they aren’t free of dangers.
Vapes can result in health hazards that traditional smoking can bring. As per the studies, both cigarettes and vapes with nicotine have similar risk factors. They both bring on short and long-term health effects.
So, neither of the options is safe for our health in the long run.
In case you want to enjoy “somewhat risk-free” vaping, then zero-nicotine vapes would be great! Not only are they safer but provide a similar feel, vibe, and throat-hit that traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes offer.
Practical Tips for Transitioning from Smoking to Vaping
Choosing the Right Device
Nicotine Strength: Grab one with nicotine that matches your current cigarette usage. Heavy smokers are mostly into nic level 18-24 mg/ml, whereas light smokers stay within 6-12 mg/ml.
Ease of Use: In case you’re a newbie, go with disposables or pods. Even there are starter kits for beginners. All these have one big perk: user-friendly. Plus, you’ll get the feel similar to mods or cigarettes.
Managing Nicotine Intake
Gradual Reduction: Lower the nicotine levels slowly. If you’ve started with 18mg/ml, shift to 12mg/ml.
Scheduled Vaping: The wise thing to do is— set up specific times for puffing. This will help a lot in lessening frequent use and addiction.
Track Usage: Your best weapons here are journals or apps. They’ll help you monitor how much you’re taking nicotine and work to limit it.
Staying Informed
- Read recent studies and statistics from reliable and reputable sources like WHO, NIH, and CDC. Through this, you can understand the health impacts.
- Stay updated on laws, regulations, restrictions, and policies regarding vaping. This way, not only you can ensure safety but avoid fines and other penalties as well.
- Why not join online forums or local groups? They’ll give you useful tips and support.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is Nicotine Content Measured In Vapes Vs. Cigarettes?
One is based on juice while the other is on sticks. In vapes, the nicotine content is measured in milligrams per milliliter of juice whereas it’s milligrams per cigarette.
Is Vaping Less Harmful Than Smoking?
Vapes tend to work through vaporization and bear fewer toxic chemicals. All these characteristics make vaping less harmful than smoking. However, it’s not hazard-free.
How Many Puffs Of A Vape Equal One Cigarette?
Roughly 10-15 puffs of 5% can equal the nicotine content of one cigarette. Note that— it varies based on nicotine level, vape device, and use frequency.
Can you reduce nicotine intake by switching to vaping?
Yes. It’s somewhat possible to decrease nicotine intake once you switch to vaping. That said, high dependency and addiction can make vaping a curse for you. So, make sure to be careful and use it wisely.
What are the signs of nicotine addiction?
You may want to check these common symptoms to know if you’re addicted to nicotine.
- Cravings
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Difficulty in concentration
Enjoy The Essence Of Cigarettes In Vape
Because there can be around 120 cigarettes in the vape, you can enjoy the feel of it. The main job of nicotine is to infuse addiction but it helps you feel relaxed and good.
Then again, vaping nicotine and smoking nicotine are two different things.
In fact! It’s somewhat safer than the other. You don’t have to burn the tobacco— which mainly emits all the toxins.
So, if you’re into smoking but wish for a ‘comparatively safer alternative’, a vape is waiting right there for you.