Nicotine use is on the rise among young people because of unrestricted access to vapes.

That's according to the Irish Examiner’s health correspondent Niamh Griffin, who reported the proportion of young people vaping and using other nicotine products has surged from less than 20% in 2015 to 30% almost a decade later.

Consultant medical oncologist at St Vincent’s Medical Group Professor John Crown told The Anton Savage Show that, while vaping has been promoted as a way to stop smoking, it could potentially encourage the use of cigarettes and other nicotine products.

“Vaping is certainly safer than smoking burned tobacco, it’s safer than smoking cigarettes or cigars, [but] it is not safe,” he said.

“This is still dangerous – you're putting chemicals into your body.

“There was a recent study from California, I just saw the summary of it recently, which they identified a larger number of potentially cancer causing chemicals in the products of vape material as they found in tobacco smoke."

Stock photo of men vaping. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday February 21, 2020. Photo credit should read: Nick Ansell/PA Wire

Prof Crown said vapes sales should be restricted to pharmacies, and only be available to purchase under medical prescriptions for those looking to quite smoking.

“There are three things we definitely know for sure - [vaping] has cardiovascular effects, it has adverse effects on the lungs,” he said.

“Some people actually get quite sever lung damage from vaping.

“The third thing is it perpetuates, or perhaps initiates, nicotine addiction.

“It gets young people addicted to nicotine and they may well find that there are easier ways to source nicotine or more ways that in their social group may be considered more advantageous, like smoking.”

Main image: Tobacco and nicotine products on display for retail sale at a drugstore. Image: Imagic Retail / Alamy. 7 May 2016