ON the heels of a decision by the British Government to ban the sale of disposable vapes by 2025 so as to tackle the rising number of children becoming addicted to nicotine, Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) says the Jamaican Government should muster the strength to follow suit, instead of being straitjacketed by wealthy tobacco industry interests.

“That has been our position for many years. From the whole business of vaping came in and they were trying to mislead us into thinking it is a way to reduce nicotine [addiction], we have always maintained that there should be strict control — in fact banning of e-cigarettes — so I am not surprised the British would be ahead of us in that regard because the anti-tobacco lobby there is very strong,” consultant psychiatrist and chair of JCTC Dr Aggrey Irons told the Jamaica Observer Monday.

Britain is aiming to pass a new Bill regarding vape by the time of the general election — expected to be this year — with it coming into force in early 2025. Once the timing is confirmed, retailers will be given six months to implement the measure.

Additionally, the British Government intends to stick to a contentious proposal to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes.

Dr Irons, in noting that Jamaica’s lobby is as strong as Britain’s, said the State’s response has not been as robust because of divided loyalties.

“I don’t want to call the company’s name but the cigarette manufacturers have a lot of influence; that portal provides the financial backing for marketing and advertising of these products and so on. To be frank with you, we just have to keep at it because we don’t have the money to pump into various activities like scholarships, and police vehicles, and things for the constituency, and stuff like that,” Irons stated.

“It subjects us to a lot of abuse as well; they say we are fighting against people making a living and all that kind of a thing but the long-term negatives are going to be very expensive,” he pointed out.

Last September, the World Health Organization (WHO), in calling for a ban on smoking and vaping in schools worldwide, said that young people continue to be “relentlessly” targeted with tobacco and nicotine products, and that the tobacco industry’s approach has resulted in increased use of e-cigarettes, with nine out of 10 smokers starting before the age of 18 — and some as early as 11.

“Considering that children spend nearly one third of their waking hours in school, and much of the peer pressure they encounter occurs within these educational environments, schools play a pivotal role,” WHO said.

It said schools are in “a uniquely powerful position to play a major role in reducing the serious problem of smoking and other tobacco and nicotine use by kids”.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on Monday that disposable vapes, or e-cigarettes, are behind an alarming rise in vaping among children under 18, with nine per cent of 11- to 15-year-olds now using vapes, according to figures provided by the Government.

On Monday Dr Irons said Jamaica’s children are not the only ones under fumes.

“It’s not just our children, but children throughout the entire Third World are being seduced into vaping. We have been fighting the fight for a long time, and the Government — unfortunately 1 has been getting slower and slower. Ever since we got the whole business of no smoking in public spaces, they have not adopted the various legislation that has been suggested internationally and that we have promoted to them,” the JCTC chair declared.

“It would behove the Ministry of Health, the members of the Cabinet, the Government generally — including the Opposition — to start moving rapidly,” Irons added.

The coalition, in a 2019 position paper, had stated that “in light of reported deaths and major lung diseases associated with the use of e-cigarettes” it was of the view that “smokers will obtain the maximum health benefit by complete cessation of all tobacco and nicotine”.

“E-cigarettes are not safe and may cause irreversible lung damage and lung disease. It is the JCTC’s position that the importation and sale of e-cigarettes in Jamaica should also be banned. The JCTC urges the public not to use e-cigarettes,” it stated then.

The coalition includes the association of general practitioners of Jamaica, Caribbean College of Family Physicians, Jamaica Chapter Caribbean Public Health Association, Diabetes Association of Jamaica, Jamaica Cancer Society, Jamaica Dental Association, Nurses Association of Jamaica, Heart Foundation of Jamaica, and Medical Association of Jamaica.

In December last year, National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) said it would be rolling out a national anti-vaping campaign this year. That was in response to the results of a baseline assessment which pointed to usage among primary and high school-aged students, sparking fears of nicotine addiction which might continue into adulthood.

At the time, NCDA research analyst Uki Atkinson said the study, conducted over the prior two months using focus groups across three parishes, was the result of increasing reports from schools across the island about vaping.

“Those discussions yielded a wealth of information as to what is going on with vaping. We knew already that it’s happening, but to hear it directly from the horse’s mouth confirms that we have an increasing problem facing us,” Atkinson said.

She said the students, some of whom spoke at length about their own experience with vaping, as well as those of other individuals in their space, told the researchers that it is now almost like a trend with young people.

According to the 2017 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey, 15 per cent of Jamaicans aged 15 years and older currently use tobacco products. In addition, a significant number of Jamaican students are using tobacco and electronic cigarettes.

The latest data showed that 11.1 per cent of boys and 10.9 per cent of girls smoke cigarettes, while 13.7 per cent of boys and 9.7 per cent of girls use electronic cigarettes.

According to the NCDA, the glamorously marketed devices come in more than 7,000 different flavours, and their colourful packaging makes them attractive to children.

Jamaica has a plethora of vape shops which openly advertise — targeting smokers and non-smokers alike.

Health officials have said that the nicotine contained within vapes can be highly addictive. Withdrawal sometimes causes anxiety, trouble concentrating, and headaches.

Last month, France’s National Assembly unanimously approved a Bill to ban single-use, disposable electronic cigarettes in order to protect young people attracted by their flavours.