Over 25% of university students addicted to potent disposable vape Elfbar

A QUARTER of university students are hooked on the UK’s most potent disposable vape pens, worrying figures show.

As well as the 27 per cent addicted to Elfbars, 53 per cent said they had used one since September.

Just one of the brightly coloured plastic puffers — available for as little as £3 each — has the same nicotine content as 48 cigarettes.

And while 45 per cent of students said one pen lasts them a week or more, 20 per cent get through one in 24 hours.

Student newspaper The Tab surveyed 18,000 youngsters from 24 universities.

It found Oxford Brookes had the largest proportion of student users since the start of term at 67 per cent, followed by Lincoln (64), Newcastle and Bristol (both 61).

Coventry and Manchester had the highest level of students who said they were addicted.

Half of the Elfbar vapers had never smoked cigarettes and 41 per cent puff only in social settings, while 36 per cent use them daily and 23 per cent not often.

Health psychology professor Dr Lion Shabbah told The Tab: “It doesn’t surprise me that increasingly quite a lot of students might be using Elfbars, but what does surprise me though, is that a lot of them obviously have never smoked.

“We may have to pivot a bit in terms of our approach to how we deal with this.”

Elfbar was asked to comment.