A report issued by the World Health Organization on Thursday revealed that an estimated 37 million children between the ages of 13 and 15 use tobacco globally, and that the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds adults in many countries.
The report came in anticipation of the celebration of World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The report, titled “Connecting the Next Generation,” revealed that up to 20% of 15-year-olds surveyed in the WHO European region had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
The organization said that the tobacco and nicotine industry’s tactics push young people towards lifelong addiction and that this industry implements marketing campaigns and works to shape policy environments in order to help young people become addicted to its products.
The organization explained that despite the great progress in reducing tobacco use, the emergence of electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products poses a serious threat to young people, noting that studies show that the use of cigarettes leads to an increase in the use of traditional cigarettes, especially among young non-smokers, by about three times. times.
The report pointed out that research in the United States of America found that more than 70% of young e-cigarette users would quit smoking if they were only available in tobacco flavor.
The international organization stressed that these deceptive tactics highlight the urgent need for strong regulations to protect young people from harmful dependence on these products for life.
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