That’s what they are. I smoked from age 18 to 27 and I was fully aware that my physical and psychological reaction to withdrawal made me an addict.
The concept that vaping is safer is an assumption. Everyone assumed that smoking had no health risks until people started to study the effects of decades of use. The first vaporizers for nicotine arrived in 2006 so there is no possible way to know the full long-term effects of vaping. Assuming that it is safer is just as reasonable as assuming that it is less so.
> the nicotine is likely derived from tobacco
It absolutely is in 100% of vape liquids.
The delusion is palpable and the mental gymnastics that serve only the addiction are disturbing. As Dostoevsky said, ”The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him...”