40 per cent of adults smoked in last month

Almost half of Cypriot adults have smoked in the last month a survey of the public showed, the head of the national addiction authority, Dr Christos Minas said on Monday.

According to data gathered last month, Minas said that four out of ten adults had smoked a tobacco product, while one out of ten said they smoked more than 20 cigarettes in a day.

Minas added that among young people, teenagers between the age of 15 and 16, the rate of smoking was 14 per cent, and that it had declined since 2003.

However, he said Cyprus has a higher position in Europe in relation to the use of electronic cigarettes and shisha.

According to the information presented from the latest report on electronic cigarette and shisha use in 2019, Minas said that 4.5 per cent of students use e-cigarettes daily.

He added that this year results are expected soon.

Meanwhile, one in five students smoked shisha in the last month, which is a high rate.

“There is a very wrong perception that shisha is not harmful,” he said.

“The water in the shisha does not filter out the toxic products at all, while it contains loads of carcinogenic chemicals, heavy metals and carbon monoxide, whose action is more or just as harmful as that of a conventional cigarette.”

The head of the authority called on adults to sign the initiative to be free from tobacco.

“By signing this initiative we can all actively contribute to a healthy population, a healthy environment and a healthy Europe,” he said.

Commenting on smoking laws in Cyprus, he said that they are not adhered to properly, and that it is important they be taken seriously.

The national addiction authority will be taking place in a European campaign for a smoke free environment by 2030.