NCDA warns tobacco marketing is fuelling youth vaping in Jamaica

The National Council on Drug Abuse is raising concern that tobacco-industry promotion is helping to increase vaping among young people and adults in Jamaica.

Executive Director Paulette Spencer-Smith said marketers have made e-cigarettes appealing through bright packaging and sweet flavours, while the absence of tighter controls has left the products easy to obtain. She argued that the industry’s messaging can mislead consumers about the risks attached to nicotine use.

“The tobacco industry is not your friend. It has never been your friend,” Spencer-Smith said.

She warned that nicotine affects the brain by stimulating its reward system and releasing dopamine, which may create a short feeling of pleasure or calm. But, she said, the substance can also alter the brain’s reward pathways and quickly move a person from experimentation to dependence.

Spencer-Smith said what may begin as occasional use can develop into cravings that interrupt ordinary life, including school, sports and personal interactions. Her comments formed part of TVJ’s Midday News bulletin on Friday, May 29.