You're right about all of that, but cigarettes can still make quitting easier for some people.

When I was quitting nicotine, I switched to vaping and my habit got worse for three reasons that are unique to vaping:

1. E-liquid concentrations
2. Increased convenience
3. No visual cue to stop

E-liqiuds concentrations let you get a much higher dose of nicotine in a single hit. I forget the exact numbers, but I remember doing the math on the back of an envelope back then and even 8mg/mL (the "standard" dosage) was nearly twice as much nicotine per puff out of my rig, the way I smoked it. I don't think most people go through all that so they probably don't realize what their nicotine intake is while vaping.

You can vape in way more places than you can smoke. Is it too hot, too cold, or too rainy outside? No problem, just hit the vape; you don't even have to get up from the couch. At work and having a craving? Just step into the bathroom and sneak a few quick puffs. Having a craving but don't to stink up your car? Just hit the vape, now it smells like grape.

Finally, once you get into a rhythm, a cigarette eventually ends, but a vape will keep supplying you nicotine until you get sick. By the time you run out of juice or the battery dies, you've consumed several packs worth of nicotine.

With cigarettes, you know there's a consistent amount of nicotine in each one, so you can track how much you've had and control your intake more precisely than with a vape. You can say, "I smoked four cigarettes yesterday, so let's try only three cigarettes today." It'sdifficultto do the same with a vape. Also, the inconvenience of having to smoke outside is helpful in resisting cravings.

Even though they're unquestionably less healthy, I definitely understand why some people find them helpful when trying to wean off nicotine. They were the way I started and, after many, many attempts, finally the way I quit. I'm retired from smoking for about five years now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agreement

I feel the "Securitization" section of this article explains why a lot of the US is banning vaping but leaving tobacco alone.

LOL.. nicotine addict vapers believe what they want, because the brain says MORE NICOTINE.

https://keck.usc.edu/news/dna-damage-levels-similar-in-vapers-and-smokers-study-finds/

One important point I want to add is that vaping outside of the recommended guidelines does produce harmful chemicals. That is with an old burner unit on refillable vapes or vaping with next to no liquid left in the resevoir. I'm not as well versed in the nuances as you are but I've heard that the taste difference is basically because it's more toxic.

We went to a theatre show this week, and during intermission, I saw enough actual cigarettes to rival the 90s.

We speculated that the area had money and so the elite set smoked cigarettes instead of vaping. But you’ve offered new perspective.