Hannover.
Vapes look like crayons and often taste fruity. Experts warn: The disposable e-cigarettes can make young people addicted.
On the outside, they are deliberately designed to be harmless: at first glance, the so-called vapes could be in the hands of children and teenagers This could easily be colored felt-tip pens or a brightly colored lighter. If you draw on them and inhale the smoke, some of them taste supposedly harmlessly sweet like chewing gum, raspberries, watermelons or passion fruit.
The problem: More and more young people are regularly using the Vapes, as disposable e-cigarettes are called. The young people inhale flavored vapor, which in many cases contains harmful and addictive nicotine. People smoke in the schoolyard, on the sports field, in the pedestrian zone, and some of the boys and girls who smoke are no older than twelve. Experts warn about the products and call for a rethink.
Vapes: Experts call for ban on disposable e-cigarettes
Among them is the Addiction and Drugs Advocate of the federal government, Burkhard Blienert. He warns of the dangers of vapes. In fact, the products may only be sold to adults, and they also pollute the environment. “In my view, all incentives that could unnecessarily whet the appetite of young people should be abolished,” says Blienert of the German Press Agency.
Since vapes are sold in a wide range of flavors, often fruity and sweet flavors taste good, the products would appeal to young people in particular – and pave the way to the right cigarette: The drug commissioner therefore emphasizes: “In my view, a consistent ban on flavors would therefore make sense.”
Studies have also shown that the flavoring of the contained liquids (liquids) is also beneficial for itself health risks and could have an inflammatory effect. For this reason, vapes without nicotine would also be questionable.
According to the study, young people use tobacco and e-cigarettes more often
According to the German survey published at the end of 2022 smoking behavior (Debra), the proportion of smokers among 14 to 17 year olds has almost doubled within a year – from 8.7 to 15.9 percent. Among 18 to 24 year olds it rose from 36.1 to 40.8 percent. There was also a sharp increase in the consumption of e-cigarettes and similar products from 0.5 to 2.5 percent among 14- to 17-year-olds and from 2.4 to 4.0 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds .
Because of their high nicotine content, many made disposable e-cigarettes quickly dependent, warns the head of the Debra study, Daniel Kotz, from the addiction research focus at the Institute for General Medicine at the University of Düsseldorf. Liquids are heated in the devices and the resulting aerosols are inhaled. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some liquids contain twice as much nicotine as conventional cigarettes. Cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and lung problems have already been proven in studies.
At Tiktok and Co., vapes are staged as cool
Influencers like to show up on social media with a vape in hand, coolly smothered in vapour. There are thousands of posts about #vape or #vaping, for example on Tiktok. However, some clips also warn of health risks. German rappers like Haftbefehl or 187 Strassenbande have already brought their own vapes onto the market.
“The e-cigarettes look clean and trendy. Basically, a distorted image of healthy smoking is conveyed,” says Rainer Thomasius, who heads the German Center for Addiction Issues in Children and Adolescents at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). The child and adolescent psychiatrist pleads for a quick one ban flavorings and an advertising ban. “Addiction prevention in Germany has been sleeping on this subject,” criticizes the doctor. So far, politicians have only announced stricter measures.
Protection of minors: Australia puts a stop to vapes
Australia, on the other hand, will ban the import of all vapes that are not intended for pharmacies. The government justifies this step with the protection of minors. “No more bubblegum flavors, pink unicorns or e-cigarettes disguised as highlighters for kids to hide in their pencil cases,” Health Secretary Mark Butler said on May 2. If you vape, you are three times more likely to use it Smoking start from tobacco cigarettes.
The Alliance for Tobacco-Free Enjoyment (BFTG) sees it differently and refers to one that was published in 2016 Study, according to which 98 percent of e-cigarette users are adult ex-smokers. “Flavours are very important for adult smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and for vapers to stick with e-cigarettes,” emphasizes BFTG Chairman Dustin Dahlmann. The example of the USA shows: “When aroma bans for e-cigarettes are pronounced, the number of smokers increases again and illegal trade flourishes.” The BFTG is an association of companies in the e-cigarette industry.
Gateway drug for adolescents or sensible smoking cessation for adults?
Dahlmann emphasizes that it is not at all in the intention of the manufacturers for Tiktok stars or rappers to advertise or sing about e-cigarettes. “Young people and non-smokers should not smoke or vape. The e-cigarette is an alternative for adult smokers to achieve a cessation of tobacco use Advertising agreed. This includes not showing anyone under the age of 30.
The new product range with colourful, promising flavors is aimed at the market children and young people, emphasizes the German Center for Addiction Questions (DHS). Numerous studies show that there is a transition from trying e-cigarettes to smoking tobacco cigarettes. According to the DHS, there are “fundamental doubts about a positive effect of e-cigarettes on the smoking population”.
How harmful are vapes? That’s what the research says
According to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, the consumption of e-inhalation products is probably slightly less harmful than tobacco smoking, since the Liquids not burned but heated. However, the aerosol from e-cigarettes contains harmful substances such as formaldehyde and acrolein. According to the DKFZ, tobacco smoking is responsible for 127,000 premature deaths in Germany every year, and the highly addictive nicotine is also suspected of causing cancer.
addiction counseling are watching with concern the proliferation of vapes among teenagers. “For years we have succeeded in reducing smoking among adolescents and young adults,” says Tobias Trillmich from the Lower Saxony State Office for Addiction Issues. “Smoking was uncool, unhealthy, had a bad image.”
Disposable e-cigarettes: Better parental education called for
Also because rappers and influencers showed up with vapes, they would be attractive for some young people. Added to this is the low price. “It has been proven that the price has an influence on consumer behavior, especially among young people.” Online shops also make it difficult to meet the requirements of the youth protection enforce.
Trillmich pleads for better education, including for parents. They often didn’t suspect that the harmless-looking, colorful things in the children’s room could contain significant amounts of nicotine, which poses a high risk of addiction.
(dpa/mahe)
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