Puffpaw, the blockchain-integrated vape pen that claims to “incentivize people to quit smoking and vaping” could in fact keep users hooked and even encourage non-smokers to pick up the habit.

This is the opinion of a leading UK-based addiction treatment center.

A so-called ‘vape-to-earn‘ project, Puffpaw uploads your ‘puffs’ to the Berachain blockchain and issues tokens when you reduce the amount you use it.

However, according to UK Addiction Treatment Centres (UKAT), the product “is not going to help vapers to lower their usage. If anything, it could have the complete opposite effect because of the enticing gamification and crypto reward that comes with vaping.”

The organization noted that when using Puffpaw, someone may be “sucked into a world of prolonged vaping,” that may “worsen a person’s addiction,” and that it feels like “a corporate way of making money off people trying to quit smoking and lead healthier lives.”

UKAT also noted that “Puffpaw’s product could well help people who are still smoking cigarettes to convert to vaping instead, but ultimately they’re just adding to the false economy and creating even more vapers.”

In one interview, co-founder Reffo Tse failed to explain how Puffpaw can counter people who may use Puffpaw’s vape pen while also choosing to continue vaping with other traditional e-cigarettes. The project also offers vape pen holders benefits when they ‘bump’ Puffpaw pens with another Puffpaw user.

Users on X (formerly Twitter) don’t appear overly keen on the project. One user said, “I’m sorry but why would people stop vaping if they also got paid in governance tokens to vape?”

Another user joked, “It’ll help you quit cus every time you puff you earn tokens and that’s somehow better for you than actually quitting. What the fuck happened to this industry.”

Vaping has its own health risks

As for the health risks of vaping, it’s not a completely safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. A peer-review of 800 studies found that e-cigarettes contain and emit various toxic substances that may cause lung or heart disease.

However, it’s also worth noting that according to the UK’s National Health Service, evidence suggests that vaping is considerably less harmful when compared to smoking and is viewed as a method of quitting the habit.

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Another study by Addictive Behaviours found that young people who had used an e-cigarette were seven times more likely to smoke one year later. The Royal College of Paediatrics called for the ban of disposable vapes due to health concerns around children, which the UK has since implemented.