The use of heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes is expanding, especially among young people, amid aggressive promotion of these products, especially online. Minister of Health Ala Nemerenco said that electronic cigarettes are the tobacco product that is most commonly used by adolescents. Electronic cigarettes are aggressively promoted through their appealing design, diversity of flavors, and recruitment of influencers as brand ambassadors and paid doctors who suggest that the e-cigarette is not as harmful as ordinary cigarettes. This is happening while the World Health Organization considers all forms of tobacco consumption harmful. The subject was discussed at a press conference dedicated to World No Tobacco Day 2024, IPN reports.
The minister said that lately the tobacco industry has become very present in the online environment and targets children and young people. The vast majority of smokers start to smoke during adolescence. So, the tobacco industry deliberately focuses its attention on these age groups and makes all products attractive to young people. The industry is making huge investments in technological innovations and manipulative tactics to appeal to these vulnerable population groups. “In recent years, our great concern is driven by the increase in the use of heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes among adolescents. Already in 2019, according to data of a study conducted in Moldova, over 16% of the young people aged 13-15 years used tobacco products, including heated tobacco products. According to the same study, 13% of adolescents used electronic cigarettes,” stated Ala Nemerenco.
According to the official, tobacco use is a health risk factor that can be avoided without financial resources, only through will and support from the close ones, the health system. In 2023, Parliament imposed a ban on placing heated tobacco products and flavored e-cigarettes on the market from 2026. An amendment to the legislation on tobacco control, which mostly concerns young people and adolescents, the way of marketing, the use of flavors, the marketing of the number of cigarettes, is under consideration.
State secretary at the Ministry of Education and Research Valentina Olaru said that the Ministry will take measures to inform students in summer camps as the vacation is a period when children are less supervised by teachers and parents and are more prone to do unthinkable things. The parents, especially those who smoke, will also be furnished with information.
“The WHO supports the following: there is a need for spaces, including public spaces, that are 100% free of tobacco, where there are no electronic cigarettes with different tastes and there is no advertising for them. Also, duties and taxes on these products must be higher and we must increase the level of public awareness,” said Miljana Grbic, WHO Representative in Moldova.
On May 31, the World Health Organization and its partners mark World No Tobacco Day to address the consequences for health of tobacco and nicotine-containing products and to advocate effective policies to reduce the tobacco conditioned risks, urging the people to claim their right to health and a tobacco-free life for future generations.
