Over the last decade, we’ve seen a number of policies put in place in New Zealand that have made smoking a very expensive habit, while more and more evidence-based data has confirmed the health risks of the practice.

However, as smoking has declined, e-cigarettes or vaping has drastically risen in popularity marketed as a supposedly healthier alternative to tobacco-based products. 

Initially e-cigarettes were seen as a way to help current smokers quit their habit, but instead what we’ve seen is more and more people - particularly teenagers who never were tobacco smokers - take up the vaping habit.

So is it safe for teenagers to vape, are e-cigarettes a healthier alternative and how much research has been done in this space to date?

For today’s episode, Michelle is joined by Dr Kelly Burrowes, an associate professor at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, and current vaper Will Toogood, a digital producer at NZME who will talk to his experiences with vaping.