THE majority of secondary school pupils in Scotland have been exposed to the marketing and promotion of e-cigarettes, according to new research commissioned by the Scottish Government.
The Government wants to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s, “proxy purchase” by adults for minors, and restrictions on the marketing of the products, as is the case with ordinary cigarettes.
The survey found that secondary school pupils are exposed to a wide range of promotional activities and material.
In the week prior to the survey, 60 per cent per cent had seen them for sale in shops, shopping centres or stalls, 26 per cent had seen outdoor poster adverts and 23 per cent had seen or heard adverts on TV or radio.
However, the number actually using e-cigs remains steady, with more than 80 per cent of those questioned maintaining that they had never used one.
The Scottish Government says it commissioned the survey to help inform the forthcoming Health Bill. A total of 2,016 secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 18, were asked about their experiences in late 2014.
The survey found that only 16 per cent of the sample had ever used an e-cigarette, but most of those had only tried an e-cigarette “once or twice”. Of respondents who had never smoked tobacco, only five per cent have tried e-cigs.
According to the survey, curiosity was the main driver for use, sometimes motivated by seeing a friend or family member trying them.
Two thirds knew that the products can contain nicotine, and 70 per cent said that they are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.
Some ten per cent of those using an e-cig indicated that it had come from a retail outlet or the internet.
While the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s is currently legal, representatives of the e-cigarette sector say that responsible members observes a voluntary restriction not to sell to minors and many products carry an age warning. However, there is evidence, in addition to the survey findings on use, that under-18s are able to buy e-cigarettes in the sector.
Two of the main concerns about use of e-cigarettes by children and young people is that they may serve as a gateway into tobacco use and that their widespread use may undermine and hamper continued efforts to de-normalise smoking.
In common with other surveys of young people in the UK, the study found an association between smoking tobacco cigarettes and using e-cigarettes.
Some 95 per cent of those who had never smoked cigarettes had also never tried e-cigarettes compared to 4.7 per cent of those who smoke more than six cigarettes a week.
Maureen Watt, Minister for Public Health, said: “This is an extremely useful survey, that gives us one of the first good indications of young people’s awareness and experience of e-cigarettes. Of particular interest is the large number of children who are being exposed to marketing of these products.
“While more research is needed, e-cigarettes are almost certainly less harmful than tobacco, and if people are using them as an aid to quit smoking, that is a good thing.
“However, the Scottish Government does not believe that children should have access to them. This is the balance we are aiming for in our forthcoming Health Bill.”
The Government is keen to crack down on advertising of e-cigs.
Watt said: “We propose a ban on sales to under 18s and on proxy purchase. We also want to prohibit certain forms of domestic advertising.”
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