Electronic Cigarette: Puffs Are Not Without Danger
With their colorful packaging and their various flavors, puffs look like candy. But under their appetizing exterior are hidden real disposable electronic cigarettes. Very popular with college students, they are not without danger because they often contain nicotine. Explanations.
They are all the rage with teenagers
Have you heard of puffs? These little disposable electronic cigarettes are all the rage among college students.
They get their name from the English word puff which means 'puff' and were created in 2019 by two Californians working in the electronic cigarette industry.
It didn't take long for them to cross the Atlantic and spread like wildfire in college yards.
Even though their sale is prohibited to minors in France, teenagers easily manage to get them on the Internet or even at tobacconists.
These small colored sticks come in several flavors (strawberry, mango or pineapple flavor) that remind of candy and target a very young audience.
In fact, the puff followers are not adults, or even young adults, but are between 13 and 15 years old on average.
They are not so harmless
The puffs are therefore small flavored electronic cigarettes sold between 8 and 12 € each.
With their tangy and sweet taste of candy and their low nicotine content (between 1 and 2% nicotine), they may seem harmless.
Teens themselves don't feel like they're Smoking a cigarette with the puff, but simply inhaling a fruity-tasting vapor. And that's the problem!
With very sweet flavors like coconut, banana or marshmallow and a playful appearance, this item is aimed at a very young audience.
Although the manufacturers claim otherwise, the fact that they are advertising on TikTok and Instagram proves that they are not targeting 50-somethings...
The fashion effect has moreover been largely driven by social networks where young people and influencers show off their collection of disposable vapes.
Now, even if the dose of nicotine contained in a puff is lower than in a cigarette, it is sufficient to cause an addiction.
The risk of addiction is real
Since their appearance in schoolyards in the fall of 2021, puffs are appealing to younger and younger teenagers.
Even with a dosage between 1 and 2% nicotine, these little electronic cigarettes are enough to create a Smoking habit and get college kids hooked.
According to the association Alliance Against Tobacco, this fashion is likely to create a new generation of smokers, especially since teenagers and pre-teens are even more susceptible to addiction than adults.
This object worries doctors and addiction specialists who see it as a real trap to make young brains addicted to nicotine.
The risk is very real that these college students who have become addicted to nicotine will then turn to traditional cigarettes.
Specialists therefore appeal to parents and ask them to be more careful: puffs are not pencils or candy, but cigarettes to absorb nicotine.
Even when they don't contain nicotine, they get teens used to the act of smoking, not to mention the plastic waste they generate. With these single-use plastic objects, these are real disasters that are coming for health as well as for the environment.
