CANSA condemns vaping industry for luring South African youth

The Citizen

27-05-2025

The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) called out the tobacco industry for deliberately marketing vaping products to teenagers and younger children to mark World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
On May 30, the organisation will walk with SA youth to draw attention to this alarming trend. This year's World No Tobacco Day theme is 'Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing the Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products'.
It's about revealing how the tobacco and nicotine industries make their harmful products seem attractive, particularly to young people, through manipulative marketing, appealing flavours and deceptive product designs.
Cansa, in collaboration with the South African Tobacco Free Youth Forum (SATFYF), will host youth-led walks in Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg to bring attention to the big tobacco companies purposeful marketing of their products to youngsters.
The walks will be from 09:00 to noon on the day, and young people are encouraged to participate. To do so, email [e-mail].
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After the walking events, Cansa and the SATFYF will submit a memorandum of demands to parliament demonstrating support for the formulation of the Tobacco Control Bill.
The organisations will urge the Portfolio Committee on Health to continue prioritising the nation's health and expedite the passage of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill.
They will also emphasise that delays will lead to increased recruitment of young people by the tobacco industry, resulting in higher rates of nicotine addiction and tobacco-related illnesses, including cancer.
Lesego Mateme, the project co-ordinator at the SATFYF, said, 'In Johannesburg, we will walk to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa to submit a memorandum to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco-related products.
'In particular, we want to highlight the harmful consequences of allowing the subliminal advertising and promotion of these products through broadcast channels.
'Such promotions often glamorise the use of vapes and hubbly bubblies, associating them with a luxurious lifestyle and success, which misleads the public, especially young people, about the risks involved.'
Cansa warns young people and their parents, guardians and teachers that vaping is not a safe option.
Minenhle Dlamini, Cansa's tobacco control programme co-ordinator and social worker, added, 'Despite claims that vaping is a 'harmless alternative' to smoking, there is ever-increasing evidence of serious health risks.
These risks include nicotine addiction, lung damage and the increased likelihood of moving onto traditional tobacco products.
'A new generation of nicotine-dependent individuals is being created with seemingly innocent flavoured vapes and sleek, tech-inspired designs targeting young consumers.'
The problem in SA
• A 2023 study found that 16.83% of the 25 149 SA high school learners (grades Eight to 12) from 52 schools surveyed used vaping products, while 36.71% reported having used vaping products.
The odds of vaping increased by grade, but did not depend on how wealthy the school was; Of those learners who vaped, 47% did so within the first hour of waking, suggesting high nicotine addiction;
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• SA's current tobacco control policies do not effectively regulate vaping, allowing the industry to exploit legal loopholes;
• Nicotine addiction among adolescents has been linked to cognitive impairment, increased anxiety and an increased risk of developing smoking-related diseases later in life;
• Vape shops and online retailers often fail to verify age, making access easy for underage users.
The SATFYF's 2023 Big Tobacco Tiny Target SA study revealed that tobacco products are purposefully sold, displayed and marketed to attract children.
Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets is a global campaign that monitors the tobacco industry marketing that targets young people by observing the advertising of tobacco and nicotine products (TNPs) near primary and secondary schools.
The 2023 study observed 409 TNP points of sale within a 300m radius of primary and secondary schools in the cities of Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria and Stellenbosch.
Almost half, or 45.2% of the points of sale, were spaza shops and small grocery stores.
The findings revealed that most (92.2%) of the points of sale sold cigarettes, and 68.2% of them displayed these products at children's eye level.
Cansa's proposed solutions
• Stronger regulations: Cansa calls for fast-tracking the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill to ban child-friendly flavours, impose strict advertising controls and enforce age verification for all tobacco-related product purchases;
• Education and awareness: Schools, parents and community leaders must launch comprehensive anti-vaping campaigns to teach youngsters about the hidden dangers of vaping, including its impact on brain development;
• Social media accountability: Implement stricter regulations on paid influencer promotions to prevent deceptive marketing tactics.
• Holding tobacco companies accountable: Cansa supports higher taxation on vaping products to curb affordability and discourage youth uptake;
• Access to cessation support: Government and health organisations must provide accessible nicotine addiction treatment and counselling services for young people who want to quit.
Cansa offers a free online smoking cessation programme that provides guidance, mentorship and practical tools to help smokers quit for good.
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