An ivnestigation conducted by the Institute for Public Health (IJZ) found that 13.6 percent of students aged 13 to 15 are using some tobacco product.

This includes vape style products, smokeless tobacco products as well as cigarettes. Vapes are used by 8.2 percent of the boys this age and 9.6 percent of the girls, IJZ informed.

The research was conducted in 75 schools and included 4,670 pupils. Healthcare Minister Azir Aliu said that it is particularly concerning that 57 percent of youths are exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes, and 55.4 percent said that they were exposed to smoke in other indoor spaces.

The research found that 73.2 percent of the underage smokers were not prevented from purchasing cigarettes on the count of their age. But, what is important for us is that an enormous majority, 86.9 percent of those polled, support the ban on indoor smoking, said Aliu.