The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 15 million children and 86 million adults now use e-cigarettes, warning that vaping is driving a new wave of nicotine addiction, especially among youth, according to the Financial Times. Despite a decline in global tobacco use since 2000, the WHO criticizes the tobacco industry for promoting new products like vapes and nicotine pouches that appeal to young, non-smoking users. While some argue these products help smokers quit, the WHO says they risk reversing decades of public health progress and calls for stricter regulations, including higher taxes and advertising bans. They write:

The World Health Organization said at least 15mn children use e-cigarettes, as it criticised the tobacco industry for “introducing an incessant chain of new products and technologies” to “market tobacco addiction”.

The UN agency said in a report on Monday that one in five adults worldwide, or 1.2bn people, were still addicted to tobacco, down from 1.38bn in 2000. […]

“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, a departmental director at the WHO. “They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.” […]

In its first estimate of vaping prevalence, WHO said that at least 86mn adults, mostly in high-income countries, and 15mn children use e-cigarettes. […]

Countries have largely struggled to enforce existing legislation and keep up with the development of new nicotine and tobacco products.

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