Campaign warns of rise of vaping among young people
Cancer charity Kom op tegen Kanker (Stand up to Cancer) is extending its anti-smoking campaign to vaping, as the use of the e-cigarette is increasing. The NGO campaigned against smoking and vaping at a secondary school in Antwerp province with popular influencers and Flemish Welfare minister Caroline Gennez.
According to figures from the Flemish Expertise Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, a quarter of young people have vaped. These are figures from the 2022-2023 school year. Kom op tegen Kanker calls vaping the “gateway to nicotine addiction”.
"This is an industry tactic to breed a new generation of nicotine addicts”
“It’s a bad evolution that more and more young people see vaping as a stepping stone to smoking,” said director David Vansteenbrugge. “Among the youngest group of smokers, we see that half of them also vape. So there is a clear link and often a transition from one to the other. This is an industry tactic to breed a new generation of nicotine addicts.”
Preventive policy
At the Sint Ursula Institute in Lier, a large school with 1,500 pupils, there were no afternoon classes on Monday. Instead, a festival was organised to raise awareness among pupils against smoking and vaping. Influencers Stien Edlund and Elias Verwilt were there to support the anti-tobacco message, alongsideGennez.
Gennez said the popularity of vaping among young people was worrying. “It’s very dangerous and very addictive and therefore the policy should not only be repressive by banning certain sales of vapes, but also preventive,” she said. “We must ensure that young people do not start vaping.”
#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © PHOTO PRESS ASSOCIATION
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