An IKE Tech Whitepaper, September 2025
John Patterson, President of Ike Tech Foreword
Underage vaping and the illicit trade of products remain persistent challenges that pose a direct threat to the wellbeing of our youth, and perceptions of vaping. As regulatory discussions intensify worldwide, it's become clear that traditional, piecemeal measures are no longer fit for purpose.
Vaping products have shown significant promise in helping adult smokers to transition away from combustible cigarettes, contributing to the public health goal of creating smoke-free communities. However, this progress is put at risk by rising rates of youth usage, which in turn fuels public fears about the harms of vaping and overshadows its vital role in helping adults quit smoking.
To sustain the benefits of tobacco harm reduction, we must proactively work to eliminate youth access to these products. This requires a new approach that goes beyond traditional analogue measures, embracing smarter, privacy-first technologies and fostering genuine collaboration among regulators, industry, and public health advocates.
Our latest research, with input from external experts, reinforces that existing measures are failing to address key challenges. The data demonstrates that to effectively close the youth access and illicit trade gaps, we must work together to make verified access and authentication the new norm.
IKE Tech's mission is to lead this effort by setting a new global standard. We are harnessing advanced age verification and blockchain-based product authentication technologies to tackle both youth vaping and the illicit market simultaneously, demonstrating that innovation can, and must, serve the greater good.
This is our call to action: we must collectively lead with purpose, pioneer new models for enforcement, and use technology to make a meaningful difference. Through a unified approach, we can protect future generations, preserve vaping access for adult smokers, and create a safer, more responsible marketplace for everyone.
Contributors
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With over two decades of global experience, John Patterson stands at the forefront of innovation, driving the intersection between consumer technology and regulated industries. He has a proven track record of transforming brands and scaling organizations to deliver products and services that produce impactful results. As President of IKE Tech, John applies his deep expertise in tobacco harm reduction to champion a strategic vision that not only fosters growth but also advances the vital mission of leveraging innovative technologies to create safer, more responsible marketplaces.
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Jason is a seasoned executive with deep expertise in strategic partnerships, brand management, and commercial innovation across consumer products, smart technologies, and beyond. He has founded, scaled, and led multiple companies. As Chief Commercial Officer at IKE Tech, Jason applies his broad experience to drive commercial strategy for IKE’s unified technology platform. He also serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Chemular, the leading U.S. regulatory consulting firm specializing in nicotine-related products, which provides him with deep expertise and knowledge in the sector.
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Thomas is a seasoned technology executive, board member, and strategic advisor with a strong track record of founding and scaling companies at the intersection of blockchain, cybersecurity, and compliance. As co-founder and CTO of Berify, Thomas is driving the development of a blockchain-based authentication platform that bridges physical products with secure digital identities, enabling trust, transparency, and monetization of zero-party data at scale. He also holds nine patents (spanning web security, blockchain, NLP and AI).
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Mary Glindon is the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.
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Atul owns Londis Harefield in West London and has been in the UK retail industry for over thirty years. He was recognised as an outstanding retailer ambassador by the Association of Convenience Stores in 2024 and is a previous winner of the Independent Achievers Academy’s Innovation award.
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Hannah Sims
MSN, RN, Clinical Nurse Manager, Emergency Medicine (U.S.)
Hannah is a California-based Clinical Nurse Manager with a background in emergency medicine, providing care to patients of all ages and leading frontline clinical teams.
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Sairah is an independent smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction (THR) consultant and advocate, supporting clients in the THR space. She is a qualified health psychologist and a stop smoking clinician with a 16-year track record of supporting smokers within the NHS stop smoking services.
Survey methodology
The proprietary data referenced in this whitepaper was sourced from an online survey (running between the 3 June 2025 and 10 June 2025) of 5,000 respondents: 2,000 UK adults; 2,000 U.S. adults; and 500 UK children and 500 U.S. children, both aged 15-17 and surveyed via their parents. The aim of this survey was to identify factors that impact youth vaping, and collect views regarding current youth prevention policies and the potential impact of IKE technology on youth vaping and the illicit market. It was commissioned by Clarity Global on behalf of IKE Tech LLC and conducted by market research company OnePoll, following the Market Research Society's code of conduct. OnePoll are MRS Company Partners, corporate membership of ESOMAR and Members of the British Polling Council.
Executive Summary
How can we reduce underage vaping?
To reduce underage vaping it is important to understand the factors impacting it. We surveyed 5,000 adults and young people (15 to 17-year-olds) in the UK and U.S. to provide insight into this landscape.
Is enough being done to ban underage vape sales?
The power of tech to reduce underage vaping
Hope for the future
The proprietary data referenced in this whitepaper was sourced from an online survey of 5,000 respondents: 2,000 UK adults; 2,000 U.S. adults; 500 UK children aged 15-17 via their parents; and 500 U.S. children aged 15-17 via their parents. It was commissioned by Clarity Global on behalf of IKE Technology and conducted by market research company OnePoll, following the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected between the 3 June 2025 and 10 June 2025. OnePoll are MRS Company Partners, corporate membership of ESOMAR and Members of the British Polling Council.