Around 46 percent of girls and 41 percent of boys aged 15 to 16 in Montenegro have experimented with e-cigarettes. Around 22 percent of girls and 19 percent of boys use them regularly, while more than seven percent of them started using them before the age of 13.
These data are worrying, warns Professor Agima Ljaljević, a specialist in social medicine, director of the Science Center and national coordinator for tobacco control.
"We have a decline in the number of users of classic cigarettes, especially among girls, but the number of young people using electronic cigarettes and similar products has increased significantly," says Ljaljević.
According to her, these products are often presented as a "healthier alternative" or an aid in quitting smoking, but she points out that electronic cigarettes contain nicotine - even those labeled as nicotine-free - as well as numerous other harmful substances.
A particularly dangerous substance is diacetyl, which can cause severe lung damage known as "popcorn lung."
"Nicotine speeds up the heart rate, affects blood clotting and indirectly contributes to the development of malignant diseases. Changes occur quickly, and they especially affect young, developing organisms," warns Ljaljević.
The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that these products are easy for young people to access, but also that today we have over 16.000 different flavors.
Quitting smoking, regardless of age, has significant health benefits.
"If a person quits at 30, their life expectancy can be extended by 10 years. Quitting at 40 gives them nine additional years, at 50 six, and at 60 three years of life," she emphasizes.
The example that parents set for their children is key, says Ljaljević.
If parents and adults around them smoke, it is difficult to expect different behavior, and passive smoking is not harmless, it is just as harmful as active smoking.
Slovenia recently set a strong health standard in Europe by banning the sale of electronic cigarettes with flavors, including fruity, sweet, and herbal, and authorities will seek to make the same happen in Montenegro.
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