In the US big tobacco is responsible for funding anti tobacco campaigns look up “Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement MSA” and from what I saw at the time it seemed like they were using their anti tobacco platforms to demonize their biggest competition, nicotine isolate vapes that you can diy with 3 ingredients, taste better, are much less harmful, way cheaper, and are easier to stop using or become addicted too. To be clear to non smokers this is not the modern salt nicotine big tobacco sells (even though even salt nic is still much better than analogs).

I learned what AstroTurfing was first hand around 2014 due to their successful lobbying and AstroTurfing then getting it classified as a tobacco product and now banning flavors. They use the common tactics of “for the children” and fear mongering about popcorn lung (that you couldn’t get from even the worst ejuice of you tried) The UK did a study back in the day so it’s not like people didn’t have access to science https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

The public swallows just about every lie they tell about vapes