They are dispersed throughout. Perched on the terraces of visually appealing cocktail bars, they are in the well-groomed hands of youthful professionals. Suckled covertly by students gathered in the nooks of neighborhood bars. They are the cause of the miasma with a cherry aroma that permeates smoking locations all around the country. Of course, they’re elf bars.
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The popularity of disposable vapes has skyrocketed in the last few months. Sales of disposable vapes increased by 279 percent in the last quarter of 2021 on IndeJuice, the top online vape platform in the UK. The most popular brands were Geek and Elf bars. Disposable vapes are especially popular among young people; according to a recent survey, less than 1% of 18-year-old vapers used disposables in the beginning of 2021, and that percentage rose to almost 57% in January 2022. The hashtag #elfbar has received close to 600 million views on TikTok thus far.
Twenty-six Elf bars were first used by Elle in December. She says she used to use a reusable Juul, but it got pricey very quickly since she had to keep buying fresh pods, so she started looking at disposable choices. She continues by saying that she has discovered that Elf bars have made it simpler for her to give up smoking. She informs me, “I had smoked since I was about 18.” “But I’ve completely given up smoking since I started consuming Elf bars. It’s odd that I’ve only had two cigarettes in 2022 because on nights out, I used to chain smoke thirty cigarettes.
Nikita, 22, gave up smoking cigarettes in February of this year and started vaping. “A vape would last me nearly two weeks, and elf bars weighed about six pounds.” Compared to cigarette smoking, it was far less expensive, she claims. In addition to trying vaping to wean himself off of cigarettes, Andrew, 24, initially purchased an Elf bar three months ago. “In 2018, having a vape pen was ‘uncool,’ but now that everyone has one and it’s socially acceptable,” he remarks. “It’s not bait; you can chuff one in the smoking area.”
Cigarettes continue to maintain their status as a cool thing even after it has been established that they are linked to health issues including heart disease and lung cancer. John Orvted stated earlier this year in the New York Times that “despite the science, or the times, it’s one of those things, like bluejeans, that has always been tinged with a sense of cool, and will always [symbolize] renegade urges in some form.” On the other hand, vaping has been compared to smoking’s sanitized, goofy little cousin.
However, Elf bars have succeeded in entirely flipping the sometimes negative perception of vaping. The chunkier, ugly vapes from the mid-2010s stand in sharp contrast to their streamlined, ergonomic, and colorful design. Additionally, they are available in a variety of nostalgic, sweet flavors, such as cotton candy and cola, which are perhaps more appealing to younger customers. With lower retail costs and better functionality than the majority of other vapes, they’re also more accessible. With Elf bars, there’s no need to fuss about purchasing liquids or charges; you can simply take them out of the package and start smoking. One of my friends tells me, “I remember thinking, ‘This is a bit of me,’ when I first tried one.”
The increasing popularity of elf bars is being driven by their ubiquity. “Elf bars or vapes are now used by the majority of my smoking pals. It’s similar to having a herd mentality, says Elle. “A few of us began doing it, and now we’re all doing it.” Elf bars aren’t just for heavy smokers; according to Liam Humberstone, technical director of Totally Wicked, they’ve “undoubtedly attracted many more social smokers, regular smokers, and in some cases, people who would have otherwise found themselves trying combustibles.”
In the past several years, red top newspapers have fueled moral panics about vaping, and there has been a debate over whether or not vapes might serve as a gateway to cigarettes. Contrary to popular belief, evidence indicates that vaping is 95% less dangerous than smoking cigarettes, and less than 1% of vapers today have never smoked. “Vaping has become a problem for public health. Thanks to their conversion to vaping, thousands of individuals who would have been smokers today are not, according to Action on Smoking and Health’s deputy chief executive Hazel Cheeseman (ASH). “National data on vaping has consistently demonstrated extremely low levels of use among nonsmokers.”
This is not to suggest that vaping is inherently acceptable or beneficial. Nikita expresses anxiety about her increasing reliance on disposable vapes, saying, “I’ve just become more and more addicted to it.” Each week, I would purchase an Elf bar. then every few days or so. It used to happen once every 24 hours. She continues, saying that she has since switched to larger, stronger Elux bars, which have 48 cigarettes’ worth of nicotine in them. She claims, “My boyfriend and a lot of my friends have all gone through the same thing.” “A few have returned to smoking cigarettes due to their lower cost.”
“After three months of vaping, it’s more difficult for me not to reach for an Elf bar than it was for me to give up cigarettes after four years of smoking.” Never had a vape juice that was even remotely as addicting as an Elf bar, says Andrew. “My buddies and I refer to them as ‘crack sticks.'” They should only be tobacco-flavored, behind the counter, alongside cigarettes, and in a filthy green packaging, in my view. Situated directly in front of the counter, they resemble toys in every way. It should be subject to the same limitations as cigarettes.
Cheeseman notes that vaping is not risk-free but emphasizes that it may still be a very helpful tool in helping smokers stop. “This is something new and needs to be closely monitored if products are hitting the streets that have a big appeal among never-smokers,” she adds. “Vaping is not risk-free, even though it is far less dangerous than smoking—one in two smokers will pass away from a smoking-related ailment. To ensure that the enormous benefits that smoking cessation offers to society are not negated by non-smokers starting to vape, the government must continue to keep an eye on this.