Puff bar danger! It escapes the attention of families and teachers due to its resemblance to a flash memory.

Puff bars, a new type of electronic cigarettes, endanger the health of children. Puff bars, which attract children’s addiction with their different packaging, striking colors and aromas, can escape the attention of families and teachers due to their resemblance to a flash memory.

THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL E-CIGARETTES IS ESTIMATED TO BE VERY HIGH

These products, which target children and adolescents, continue to spread among middle school and high school students, according to US data. Regarding these products, which are not sold in Turkey but are smuggled into the country, Yes to Health Association Board Member Tanzer Gezer said: “We do not have a methodology to make predictions about smuggled products; however, in a study conducted by the association; disposable pod e-cigarettes ( We used the keyword ‘puff bar’, which is used for e-cigarettes with cartridges, and found the number of e-commerce sites appearing in the search engine as 65. The fact that an unlicensed product (production, sale and import is prohibited) is being sold on so many e-commerce sites is considered an illegal product. It is estimated that the number is very high.

65.3 PERCENT OF 199 SALES POINTS SELL THESE PRODUCTS

Gezer said, “The Yes to Health Association also determined that puff bars were offered for sale in its observation study at tobacco product sales points. In December 2022, observations were made at the sales points determined by a walking tour in the central regions of 4 busy districts in Istanbul with a radius of 1 km. 199 sales points were visited in four districts. 65.3 percent of them sold other tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, puff bars, hookah tobacco, menthol balls, etc., and 21.6 percent sold puffs with different flavors, nicotine levels and attraction power. It was determined that bar types were sold.”

Gezer noted that puff bar products are recommended instead of cigarettes at the points where puff bars are sold, with the following statements: “Young people love it very much, it is cheaper than buying cigarettes, it provides more nicotine for less price, it smells nice, it does not get on you, it is delicious, a branch of cigarette takes 15-20 puffs to puff.” bars 300-500-1,000-5,000-10,000 shots.”

IT IS SOLD WITH FAVORITE FLAVORS AND COLORFUL PACKAGES

Stating that such products are developed targeting children and adolescents, Yes to Health Association President Prof. Dr. Elif Dağlı said, “These are equipped with flavors used in children’s foods and candies. They are colorfully packaged. In businesses that sell illegally, they are displayed next to candies and gum at children’s eye level. Tobacco companies can no longer sell a product that is known to kill half of their customers to the younger generations. They do not sell tobacco to technology-savvy adolescents.” “Adds nicotine with sweeteners and delivers it through electronic devices,” he said.

“THERE IS AN UNPRECEDENTED PANDEMIC IN THE USA”

Prof. Dr. Dağlı said, “There have been no systematic studies to determine the age of use of puff bars in our country, but US data shows that there is an unprecedented epidemic among middle school and high school students.”

Noting that the main ingredient of most such products is nicotine, Prof. Dr. Dağlı continued his words as follows: “Nicotine has been detected even in products claimed to be nicotine-free. Moreover, there are some that contain thousands of times the amount found in cigarettes. In addition, fruit and spice flavors, cooling agents and various chemicals are added. Cannabis (cannabis) is detected in a significant number of them abroad. E “Adolescents and young people who smoke are more likely to use marijuana.”

“EITHER IT IS LOW PRICE OR IT IS COMMONLY USED BY YOUNG PEOPLE”

Prof. Dr. said that they are affordable enough to enable students to use them. Dr. Dağlı said: “There is a very limited group of people who can afford these products, which come into our country from abroad. They are either sold at low prices to get young people used to them, or young people use them by sharing them among themselves.”

IT CONTAINS THOUSANDS TIMES NICOTINE THAN A CIGARETTE

Prof. said that puff bars contain nicotine and sometimes marijuana. Dr. Dağlı noted that these substances are known to be highly addictive.

Prof. Dr. Dağlı continued his words as follows: “Some puff bars contain thousands of times the nicotine of a cigarette. Cannabis oil, which is modified for use in vapor devices, contains 4-30 times more cannabis than dried cannabis. 6 percent of high school students in the USA use cannabis every day. “One in three students by 12th grade has tried cannabis.”

IT CAUSES A DISEASE THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYS THE LUNG

Touching on the short and long-term harms of puff bars, Prof. Dr. Dağlı said, “The human brain continues to develop until the age of 25. During this process, nicotine’s contact with the forebrain region, which has functions such as decision-making, impulse control and memory, causes permanent changes throughout life. In addition, nicotine is a substance that can cause cancer on its own. On the other hand, this Food flavors added to products cause damage to the lungs. Those containing marijuana cause a disease that completely destroys the lungs, which we call EVALI. In addition, cooling agents such as WS-3 and WS-23, which started to be added to products after menthol was banned, are found in dangerously high levels, and the cancer-causing pulegone substance is present. “It was determined that it was also added.”

“EVERYONE WHO SELLS, BUYS AND CONDUCTS IS LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE”

Reminding that no tobacco or nicotine product without a sales license can be sold in Turkey, Prof. Dr. Dağlı said, “Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are not permitted to be sold. Therefore, anyone who sells, buys or turns a blind eye to them illegally is legally responsible.”