Ever Wonder Why Vape Flavours Are “Fun”?

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- Every year on May 31, the world celebrates World No Tobacco Day.

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The theme for this year, “Protecting Children From Tobacco Industry Interference”, aims to raise awareness over the harmful influence of the tobacco industry on youth worldwide.

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According to a 2024 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), global estimates show that 37 million children aged 13-15 years are using tobacco. The rate of e-cigarette usage is also higher among adolescents when compared to adults.

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In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022: Adolescent Health Survey reported a similar trend. While cigarette use among youths had decreased from 13.8% in 2017 to 6.2% in 2022, e-cigarette/vape use had increased from 9.8% to 14.9%.

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In order to sustain its billion-dollar industry, tobacco companies use a variety of tactics to entice a newer, younger generation of customers to replace ones that have quit smoking and died.

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Advertisements, marketing, sponsorship schemes - all play an important role in ensuring that the youths of today stay hooked on nicotine.

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Flavour, the WHO states, is the main reason why youths are trying e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.

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To mask the bitter, harsh taste of tobacco and nicotine, e-liquids (the liquids used in e-cigarettes and vapes) are sold in sweet and fruity flavours and even marketed as “e-juice” and “vape juice”. The WHO reports that there are nearly 16,000 different flavours of e-liquids.

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E-cigarette producers have been known to use cartoons and child-friendly imagery in their branding and marketing of sweet flavours. They have also designed their products to resemble popular cartoon characters and toys. One such product is the “toy pod”.

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The products are also designed for discreet use and are available in shapes resembling a USB flash drive, pens, lipsticks and watches.

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-- BERNAMA

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This explainer can also be viewed on our Instagram page.