picture of someone smoking cigarettes What Are The Reasons People Smoke? Man smoking cigarettes, illustration -

For example, e-cigarettes are still addictive, and studies suggest that they may be bad for heart health

Silverio A, et al

For 2025, WHO has announced the theme Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products. This campaign focuses on revealing the strategies used by tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products attractive, especially to young people

Based on the evidence available, researchers concluded that smoking appears to be associated with increased severity of disease and death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. So far there is no evidence that vaping worsens COVID-19 outcomes, but both Drope and Galiatsatos pointed out that there hasnt been as much research into it, so more research is needed before conclusions can be drawn

Since 2024 there has been a softer regime for one narrow case: a non-resident, caught at a port of entry, with a personal-use quantity, on a first offence, can face a fine instead of automatic prison