While cost of living rises, nicotine gets cheaper

Despite the rising cost of living, nicotine has become more affordable; especially for young people. 

This trend is driven largely by disposable e-cigarettes, which now contain more nicotine than ever before. At the same time, the price per milliliter (mL) of nicotine has steadily declined.

Disposable e-cigarettes make up the vast majority of products on the market and most are not authorized for sale by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making their presence on store shelves illegal. 

Removing illegal products, implementing minimum pricing laws for e-cigarettes, banning discounts and coupons, and raising taxes can make these addictive products less accessible for young people. Quitting programs that emphasize savings, such as EX Program by Truth Initiative, can also help encourage quitting.

Stronger and cheaper vapes make large amounts of nicotine more accessible to young people

Due to increases in product size and nicotine concentration, the total amount of nicotine sold via e-cigarettes surged by 249.2% between February 2020 and June 2024 — with disposable, flavored products accounting for the majority of sales. 

Meanwhile, the cost of nicotine per milliliter (mL) has decreased. According to a Truth Initiative study published in Tobacco Control, the average price of 1 mL of e-liquid decreased by 16.2% between 2015 and 2021. The price of disposables has further decreased, with prices per mL decreasing 69.2% from 2020 to 2022 alone, nearly tripling purchasing power. 

This decrease in price is especially relevant for younger teens, who have less income and are more restricted by price. The study found that those aged 16-17 years had to use less of their annual income to buy the same amount of nicotine over time: from 37% in 2018 to 23% in 2021.

What about adults who switch from smoking to vaping?

While some researchers have argued that increasing e-cigarette prices could stop older adults from using them as an alternative to cigarettes, the research shows that e-cigarettes are already overwhelmingly affordable for older adults — costing just 1% of their yearly income — such that even doubling the price would not pose a financial burden. 

This is not true for teens whose purchasing power would be more severely constrained.

Tools for reducing youth affordability and access

We urge the FDA, as well as retailers, to take stronger action to remove illegal disposable products from the shelves.

In addition, increasing the price of e-cigarettes has the potential to vastly reduce youth use and addiction. Price increases could be especially helpful in helping heavy users quit, as higher prices have a larger impact on frequent users who dedicate more of their income to buying e-cigarettes. 

Highlighting how the cost of nicotine addiction can add up can also be a motivating factor to help people quit. With EX Program’s free savings calculator, users can envision the financial benefits of quitting and share what they plan to buy with money saved from living nicotine-free.