While vaping is not risk free, it is less harmful than tobacco Our World in Data Vaping and smoking together increases lung cancer risk fourfold Most smokers wrongly believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking, says study Many young people who vape did not smoke cigarettes before they started vaping. But young people who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes than those who never vape. We've developed Vaping: How popular are e cigarettes?