They are unable to let go of them because they're worse than fags. At least you finish a fag whereas vapes go on all day.
People think they are less harmful than fags but we know virtually nothing about the effects of them.
I have a theory that they will be harder to kick than fags and in the long term will be more damaging - people are being fooled into believing that they are a clean substitute to smoking.
Now I'm not and have never been a smoker (or 'vaper') but I can't honestly see how nicotine mixed with water vapour could be more harmful than a cigarette that's proven to contain nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic just to name a few.
The government are just pissed at the minute because they are losing shit tonnes of tax revenue from cigarettes so they are pushing these 'scientific' tests and reports that claim vaping is dangerous to try and dissuade people from doing it in the hope they'll then stop buying £5 bottles of oil that lasts a month and go back to spending £10 a day.
I'm sure they'll change their tune once they find a way to heavily tax vaping