Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus ranks among the highest in Europe for youth use of e-cigarettes, with 35 per cent of 16-year-olds having tried them and 11 per cent using them daily, the head of the Cyprus addiction treatment authority said on Monday.
High youth use and daily consumption
Speaking on Sigma TV, authority president Christos Minas described e-cigarettes as a growing public health concern and a “new generation of addicts”.
Recent research shows that almost 44 per cent of 16-year-olds in Europe have tried e-cigarettes at least once, with 22 per cent reporting use in the past month. In Cyprus, 16 per cent of young people report use in the last month, but daily use exceeds European averages, Minas said.
Discreet use and marketing concerns
Minas said e-cigarettes have become integrated into daily life as “an accessory, a gadget similar to a mobile phone,” and that their discreet use makes detection by parents difficult, even in areas where smoking is prohibited.
He also highlighted the role of aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry, particularly on social media, which he said cultivates the impression that e-cigarettes are safer or help users quit conventional cigarettes.
Addiction and health risks
“Even when the user realises the damage, quitting becomes extremely difficult,” Minas said, adding that nicotine is “highly addictive and toxic to the developing brain.”
He said health risks remain under study, with the World Health Organisation and European Commission recognising a “modified risk” compared with traditional cigarettes. The aerosol produced contains at least 70 chemical compounds, including humectants, aromatics and free radicals.
Legal rules in Cyprus
Minas said e-cigarettes containing nicotine are regulated under existing smoking laws, which ban use in enclosed public spaces and sales to minors under 18.
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