A young man recounts how his habit of using vapes evolved into a coping mechanism. Following a 2022 ban on sales, users are reportedly restricting their habits and going underground.

Twenty-two-year-old Hongkonger Elio* started smoking at the age of 16, when he was studying abroad in New Zealand. But what started as a way to kill time soon became a daily habit to relieve the stress of an uncertain future. Despite suffering from a collapsed lung in 2020, he resumed smoking and drinking a few months after recovery, later switching to e-cigarettes amid rising tobacco taxes. After the 2022 ban on the sale of vapes, he restricted his habit to one capsule every three days –...