[function_seven]

Inhaling cigarette smoke is an almost instant intake of nicotine. Vaping it is not nearly so. It’s still an open question as to why, but the current thought is because the atomized liquid droplets are much, much larger than the smoke particulates that come from burning tobacco. The atomized liquid doesn’t make it into the alveoli where it directly enters the bloodstream. Instead, the vapor coats the bronchial and nasal passages and is slowly absorbed that way.

There’s still debate as to whether the bulk of the nicotine is even absorbed in the lungs vs. deposited vapor in the nasal and oral mucosa. But whatever the route, vaping is significantly slower than smoking—something that a lot of “switchers” don’t appreciate. (They don’t get the instant gratification that they did when taking that first drag off of a cigarette.)

I don’t mean to refute your point. The hierarchy of drug intake is legitimate. But vaping is more like “inhalation*” with an asterisk. Maybe faster than a lozenge or patch, but definitely slower than smoking it.