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A study by the University of York, published this summer in the journal * study * and reported by several French media outlets, presents vaping as a gateway to tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis. However, several scientists and experts were quick to cast doubt on these findings.
Published on August 19 in *Tobacco Control*, the study “Vaping and harm in young people: an umbrella review” by Golder et al.1 from the University of York asserts that vaping encourages young people to start smoking and leads to certain risky behaviors, such as alcohol and cannabis use. These alarming conclusions were subsequently picked up by several French media outlets234 But very quickly, several experts at the Science Media Centre pointed out methodological limitations and results deemed misleading, given the poor quality of the analyzed Studies .
What this English-language web study says
This English- study al study is a synthesis of 56 systematic reviews, concluding that e-cigarette use among young people is associated with multiple health and behavioral risks.
- Young people who vapourize are 2 to 6 times more likely to go on to use cannabis.
- Their risk of alcohol consumption and binge drinking is multiplied by 4 to 6.
- The transition to smoking (gateway effect) is said to be about 3 times higher among vapers.
Review quality called into question
Several scientists were quick to express reservations. Professor Ann McNeill, a specialist in tobacco addiction at King's College London, points out that the analysis "includes 56 systematic reviews, 53 of which are of low or critical quality", which calls for "great caution before drawing conclusions".
Professor Kevin McConway, professor emeritus of applied statistics at the Open University, shares this view: “The strength of the conclusions depends on the strength of the systematic reviews used, which in turn depend on the quality of the original Studies . The authors identified only one high-quality review, two of moderate quality, and 53 of low or very low quality. ” According to him, “this calls for caution.” He adds that “one of the major problems, acknowledged by the authors themselves, is that it is virtually impossible to demonstrate a causal relationship between vaping and the observed health or behavioral effects.”
Risk predisposition rather than vape
Most of the research synthesized is cross-sectional or observational. This makes it difficult to determine whether vaping is the real cause of these behaviors or whether other factors come into play, explain these experts. They therefore put forward the "common liability" hypothesis, i.e. an individual predisposition to addiction, considering that some teenagers have a general tendency towards risky behavior, linked to biological or psychological factors, their personality or their family and social environment. They are therefore more inclined than others to experiment with alcohol, cannabis or tobacco. Vaping is therefore not a direct cause, and the strength of the conclusions concerning a possible "gateway effect" is misleading here.
Vaporization on the rise, smoking on the decline
According to Dr. Emma Beard, an associate professor of statistics at University College London, “Talking about a ‘bridge effect’ is excessive speculation, especially since smoking rates have declined overall while vaping has increased. Protecting young people is essential, but this review highlights significant weaknesses in the current evidence.” Professor Ann McNeill also points out: “Our research has even shown the opposite relationship: trying a tobacco cigarette is associated with subsequent vaping. Other Studies show that, at the population level, when vaping increases, smoking decreases.” This trend has been confirmed in several countries: in the United States, where fewer than 2% of young people still smoke, as well as in New Zealand and France, according to the French Observatory on Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (OFDT).
Proof in numbers
The latest ESPAD survey, published by OFDT, shows that in France, the proportion of 16-year-olds who smoke daily has fallen from 16% in 2015 to 3.1% in 2024, while over the same period the practice of vaping has become more widespread and has continued to grow. At the same time, compared to the rest of Europe, France is one-third of the countries with the lowest consumption of alcoholic beverages. Finally, while historically among the countries with the highest cannabis consumption, experimentation with this product in adolescence has also fallen in France, from 31% in 2015 to 8.4% in 2024. The idea that vaping is a gateway to tobacco, cannabis and alcohol is therefore more of a prejudice than a substantiated reality.
Prioritize evidence-based practices and randomized Studies
E-cigarettes are currently the most effective tool for reducing smoking, particularly among young adults. Diverting attention with alarmist generalizations based on flimsy data only serves to muddy the public debate. It is true that it can be difficult to navigate the various types of research— Studies , longitudinal studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews—and their sometimes contradictory conclusions. To help better understand the differences between these methodologies, Vaping Post has published a comprehensive article that explains in detail their specific contributions to vaping re .
The health priority remains clear: to continue to reduce the prevalence of smoking, the leading cause of cancers and preventable diseases, and to recognize vape for what it is: a powerful risk-reduction lever, validated by convincing, quantified results.
To remember
Of the 56 systematic reviews considered by the University of York, only 3 are deemed to be of moderate to high quality, while the remaining 53 are considered to be of low or very low quality. The robustness of the conclusions drawn by this study is therefore legitimately called into question.
In fact, the data analyzed are primarily derived from observationalStudies , making it impossible to establish definitive causal relationships between vaping and related addictive behaviors.
Consumption of tobacco, alcohol or cannabis can be explained by an individual predisposition to risky behavior, without inducing a direct causal effect of vaping.
Several experts note that the findings of thestudy lack nuance and solid evidence, leading to an exaggerated interpretation of the results, particularly with regard to a presumed “bridge effect.”
- Study links teen vaping to increased risk of smoking and health issues - https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2025/research/teen-vaping-smoking-health-issues/ ︎
- Vaping among young people, an open door to tobacco, cannabis and alcohol -
https://www.lepoint.fr/sante/le-vapotage-chez-les-jeunes-une-porte-ouverte-vers-le-tabac-le-cannabis-et-l-alcool-22-08-2025-2596795_40.php ︎ - Vaping among teens linked to higher risk of tobacco, marijuana and alcohol usehttp-: //en.euronews.com/sante/2025/08/20/le-vapotage-chez-les-ados-lie-a-risque-plus-eleve-de-consume-de-tabac-de-marijuana ︎
- Teens and vaping: a practice that is far from harmless, according to a new international study –
https://www.parents.fr/actualites/enfant/adolescents-et-vapotage-une-pratique-loin-detre-sans-danger-selon-une-nouvelle-study-internationale-1139047 ↩︎