More and more young people are vaping: ‘Children can become addicted to it in two to three days’

“We are concerned. It is very recent, we have all noticed this since the spring. Most vapes contain nicotine, which is a very addictive substance. Once addicted to smoking, it is very difficult to get rid of it. And the younger a When a child comes into contact with nicotine, the faster the addiction occurs. Young children can become addicted to it in two to three days. That is dramatically fast,” said Croes.

health risks

“There are great health risks to vaping by young people. Building up nicotine as an addiction is the most important. In the Netherlands someone dies every half hour because they smoked. That is 20,000 deaths per year. That means that the tobacco industry has to recruit new customers, because they kill 20,000 of their customers every year, so they benefit from young people developing a nicotine addiction,” says Croes.

“Nicotine also disrupts the construction of the brains. They continue to grow up to 24 years of age and then all kinds of important connections are made. Nicotine prevents that and you can suffer from concentration problems later in life and have difficulty with impulse control,” says Croes.

“Apart from that nicotine, there are still dangers. In the vapor of that e-cigarette, carcinogenic substances can be released. And in the short term, children may develop heart palpitations, increased blood pressure and they become nauseous.”

‘Lack of moral awareness’

“It is a difficult problem. The chief responsible, the tobacco industry, should ask themselves what they are actually doing. They are marketing an addictive product that is particularly attractive to young people. They do this through a hip and elegant design and because of the sweet and fruity flavors,” says Croes.

Then there is also an extra addictive form of nicotine, which ensures that you do not get such a sharp feeling in the throat when you inhale. Therefore, it is easier for young people to use these types of disposable vapes. As far as I’m concerned, the tobacco industry is completely lacking in moral awareness, they actually have the ball,” says Croes.

“Another solution could be for the government to quickly introduce a ban on the sweet flavors.”

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