THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Expressing concern for the student community and claiming that the issue pertaining to vaping and vapers are increasing ‘Bailancho Ekvott’ has urged the government to initiate earlier measures in saving the students from getting addicted.
Addressing a press conference here, on Tuesday, Auda Viegas, president of ‘Bailancho Ekvott’, has requested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, besides Secretary for Education Prasad Lolienkar and Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights commissioner Peter Borges to take steps and show alertness.
Claiming that she has already come across several cases of students getting addicted to vaping, Viegas said it is high time to stop it both by parents and teachers.
“The producers of these Kandy Bar and Lost Mary etc, are advertising the puffs that each bar will give. It is disposable ‘vape’ and some are not. Some come in 13 flavours and go up to 34 flavours, since the flavour is very tempting to children, they are sold like hot cakes,” said Viegas.
She further said that they are costly and beyond the capacity of children to buy but where is the guarantee that once introduced; this addiction will not cause criminality and increase children-in-conflict with law?
It is puff that could cause nicotine addiction, criminality, mouth and throat irritation, coughing and wheezing, worsen asthma, chest pain, raised blood pressures, raised heart rate, upset stomach and nausea, she further claimed.
She added that attendance, attention of the children will increase as addiction increases, depriving the child of his right to education. With the puff intake we are slowly but surely destroying the hopes of the child. One brand among the several others contains 2 percent nicotine and some contain more, which is highly addictive.
Viegas fears that addiction to vaping can potentially lead to several negative health impact among the children.
‘Bailancho Ekvott’ wants the government along with stakeholders to crack down on sellers. Take preventive steps to control this new assault on education.
Viegas has appealed to the parents and teachers to be vigilant.
