According to a report by Caribischnetwerk on November 7th, the Dutch disease control agency FMA has found an “astonishing” rate of e-cigarette use among teenagers on the island of Curaçao.
According to the findings of the FMA investigation, this phenomenon is primarily due to a lack of regulations and controls. FMA, the initiator of this study, targeted the age group of 12 to 25-year-olds and examined their usage of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and e-cigarettes.
FMA Director Verda Betrian emphasized the need for the government to implement control measures promptly. Currently, a popular approach is to restrict the sale of e-cigarettes to medical professionals, with the aim of assisting individuals in quitting smoking.
Although e-cigarettes are popular among adolescents in the Netherlands, selling them to minors is strictly prohibited. In addition, Dutch doctors have developed an educational curriculum to raise students’ awareness of the risks of e-cigarettes. FMA states that it is now time to introduce legislation targeting e-cigarettes, banning their sale to minors, with fines being used for healthcare purposes.
