{
  "id": 15811910,
  "title": "High-nicotine e-cigarettes linked to rising nicotine dependence among young adults",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/high-nicotine-e-cigarettes-linked-to-rising-nicotine-dependence-among",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-20T22:30:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-high-nicotine-cigarettes-linked-young.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers from the University of California San Diego have discovered that the use of high-nicotine e-cigarettes among young adults aged 18-24 surged significantly between 2017 and 2022. A study published in the journal Tobacco Control found that 49.2% of daily vapers in this age group were using high-nicotine products in 2022, compared to just 4.5% of those aged 55 and older. The study, which analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, suggests that young adults are disproportionately choosing high-nicotine e-cigarettes, leading to increased nicotine dependence and more persistent vaping. John P. Pierce, a senior author and professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, noted that this imbalance in nicotine strength use warrants a reassessment of the balance between benefits and risks associated with these products.",
  "summary": "Researchers from the University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science have found that high-nicotine e-cigarette use rose sharply among young adults between 2017 and 2022 and was associated with increased nicotine dependence and more persistent vaping.",
  "key_points": [
    "High-nicotine e-cigarettes used by 49.2% of young adults 18-24 in 2022.",
    "Only 4.5% of adults 55+ used high-nicotine e-cigarettes in same period.",
    "Study links high-nicotine use to increased nicotine dependence and persistent vaping."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}