BY SOME reckonings, nicotine is as addictive as cocaine. It has led legions to a slow death by cigarette. Increasingly, however, people consume nicotine on its own. Nicotine vapes and oral pouches have soared in popularity; the global vaping market is expected to grow to $47.5bn in 2028, up from $22.5bn in 2022. But is nicotine simply a compound on which people are hooked or does it offer some kind of benefit?