Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by krolley 2692 days ago
I find it hard to believe that the smell and taste of smoking was actually pleasant to begin with, and more likely that you now have a positive association of the smell with the pleasant effects ("high") that you got from nicotine. Although I've stopped smoking marijuana now, I still really love the smell, very herby and fresh. My wife, on the other hand, absolutely hates it and can't stand it.
1 comments
y4mi 2692 days ago
Why do you find it hard to believe that other people like it, considering your shared anecdote to the same effect?

I enjoyed the taste of some tabaccos as well, though the after taste was always unpleasant. Thankfully, smoking never became an addiction for me

link
sonnyblarney 2692 days ago
"Why do you find it hard to believe that other people like it,"

Because if there was no nicotine high / dopamine response to smoking, then sales of cigarettes would fall to almost nothing indicating that 'what people like' is the 'dopamine'.

link
y4mi 2692 days ago
How can you say that with such certainty?

Vapes have been around for at least 20 yrs and have not replaced cigarettes in any way... nicotine pills are even older and continue without a significant dent in the tobacco industry.

link
sonnyblarney 2692 days ago
" at least 20 yrs and have not replaced cigarettes in any way."

Vapes have not been common in any easily usable format for 'the last 20 years' - it's really only been in the last few years have the formats really been workable.

And they have vastly changed behaviour, especially where it matters - among young people. There is essentially a vaping epidemic going on right now in high schools, and vaping has actually replaced smoking and then some [1].

Also I should point out that vaping and nicotine gum, are not perfect substitutes for smoking, so it's also hard to compare.

Do you know what the sales of 0mg nicotine 'juice' are compared to those with nicotine? Almost nada. Without nicotine vaping, then 'vaping' simply would not exist - there wouldn't be enough demand to justify the market for it.

Essentially nobody buys cigarettes without nicotine i.e. 'just for the taste'. The market is essentially non existent for that product. Ergo, it's the 'high' they are after.

I say this as a former smoker/vaper.

[1] https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/09/12/vaping-high-school-st...

link