The Rise of Water Pipes and E-cigarettes Among Spanish Youth

According to the Spanish media La Opinión de Murcia, the rise of hookah use in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic was curbed due to public place bans. However, the use of these products has quickly rebounded post-pandemic, gradually replacing traditional tobacco among young people, along with e-cigarettes. Data provided by Adelaida Lozano Polo, representative and expert of the National Committee for Tobacco Prevention (CNPT) in the Murcia region of Spain, shows that in the latest national drug survey, 40% of Spanish adolescents (aged 14 to 18) reported using hookah in the past month.

The latest data from 2023 shows that tobacco consumption among 14 to 18 year olds in the region of Murcia is better than the national average. Despite the average age of first-time use being around 14 years old, the rate of daily smoking is lower, with 18.7% in the Murcia region compared to 21% nationally. Lorena Polo pointed out that "in all types of tobacco consumption, teenagers in the Murcia region, regardless of gender, are below the national average.

However, the age of those using these alternative devices is decreasing, with 9.5% of students aged 12 to 13 admitting to having used hookah, and even cases of 11-year-old students using e-cigarettes. The National Committee for Tobacco Control has warned that in recent years, the tobacco industry has expanded and repositioned its business by promoting heated tobacco and e-cigarette products, using powerful marketing tactics to attract young people with attractive ads and colors.

Experts believe that this strategy aims to offset the losses from declining cigarette sales. They have hired internet celebrities with thousands of followers on various platforms and social media to participate in large events and promote new forms of smoking. Products like hookah and e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among young people, but they also come with the increased risks of traditional tobacco. The Spanish National Committee for Tobacco Prevention emphasized in its declaration the need for stricter regulation of these new tobacco products, including increased taxes, plain packaging, and a total ban on displays and advertising at point of sale.

Most of the people buying these products are not traditional tobacco users," observed Darío Moreno, the manager of a tobacco shop on the main street of Los Garres in the Murcia region. He mentioned that the initial hookah trend has slowed down and now the demand for e-cigarettes has surpassed hookahs. In his shop window, various shapes and sizes of hookah devices are displayed, ranging in price from 30 euros to 500 euros.

Regarding e-cigarettes, Moreno pointed out that there is a greater demand for rechargeable models and ones that can be refilled with capsules. Among these, those containing nicotine can be smoked up to 600 times, while those exceeding 600 times do not contain nicotine. This new trend has sparked widespread public and professional group attention.