Several of the country’s secondary schools are experiencing problems with the spread of snuff. It harms when the sticky small packages thrown all over the place, and it can be a disruptive element in the teaching, when snuspakken under the upper lip of the blocking of the pronunciation of the French verbs.
In a survey, which Ekstra Bladet has made among the 14 randomly selected high schools, the equivalent of nine of the schools, to the in the course of the recent years have experienced that the students takes snuff.
At Greve Gymnasium has both teachers and students felt bothered by the widespread use of snus.
– We have experienced snus as very widespread among our students, and such, I believe it is at many schools, says the principal at Greve Gymnasium, Mette Trangbæk Hammer.
She has chosen to take care of the matter by introducing the complete ban on snus.
At the Frederiksberg Gymnasium, they have similar experiences with snus. The rector Maja Bødtcher-Hansen says that the use of snuff has been a major problem that popped up suddenly.
– We have responded by making a ban on it at school, because it is a really unhealthy thing, which affects our young people’s health. So, it is also unhygienic that it is around, says Maja Bødtcher-Hansen.
the Ban on Frederiksberg Gymnasium was introduced a few months ago, so Maja Bødtcher-Hansen can not yet say whether it has helped.
On the Sct. Knuds Gymnasium in Odense, they have also chosen to ban snus, and it has according to the rector Susan Marsh had the desired effect. Although they still find that students use snuff, does she consider that the number is not escalated since the ban.
the Principal at Greve Gymnasium, Mette Trangbæk Hammer, goes to the problem with the hard hand.
– We sanction the students if we see it, says Mette Trangbæk Hammer.
the Penalties for use of snus has so far been written warnings to the students, and, according to Mette Trangbæk Hammer it has had the desired effect.
– Some of the students were sure, when we did the ban, but the teachers feel that it has greatly limited the use. Of course, I am aware that we haven’t got to grips with it all, but there are very many signs that it has been better, she says.
the Principal at Greve Gymnasium, Mette Trangbæk Hammer, estimates that it has helped with the ban on snus. Photo: Greve Gymnasium
the Use of snus among young people is an area that has not been researched much, but Charlotta Pisinger, who is a professor in the tobaksforebyggelse, University of Copenhagen, does not believe that there is no doubt that there is a trend.
– We have not some good studies that have examined the use and dissemination of snus among young people, but we know from many of those who work with young people in schools and in sports associations, and from the young people themselves, to snuff is incredibly widespread, says Charlotta Pisinger.
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Professor: the Snuff impairs young people’s ability to concentrate Charlotta Pisinger is a professor in the tobaksforebyggelse of the University of Copenhagen. She is in no doubt that snus is very common among young people. Photo: Private
Professor of tobaksforebyggelse, University of Copenhagen, Charlotta Pisinger, underlines the fact that nicotine is certainly not a harmless drug, and that it has a particularly detrimental effect on young minds.
– We have seen in the dyrestudier that young animals exposed to nicotine, makes it harder to concentrate. They can’t solve simple tasks they are faced with. There is also a clear correlation when we look at young people who begin to smoke at a young age, they perform worse academically than other young people, says Charlotta Pisinger.
Charlotta Pisinger can’t say with certainty, how long to use snus before the damage occurs, but the foreign studies and studies with animal speaks its clear language.
– The immature brain does not tolerate nicotine, and, in addition to difficulties concentrating, it can cause behavioral disorders. Children who use the nicotine containing products, especially cigarettes, has a higher degree of behavioral disorders as f.ex. ADHD. And you’ve seen animal studies, that if you expose young animals to nicotine, so they are hard to socialize and becoming restless, says Charlotta Pisinger.
Charlotta Pisinger points out, moreover, that there can be large individual differences in how it is affected.
Studies have shown that there are very large differences in terms of how quickly one becomes addicted. Of course, there is also the risk, that those children who already have behavioral disorders, and do worse academically, they will also increasingly seek out nicotine. But even when you try to correct for it, one sees still the effects, says Charlotte Pisinger.
in Addition to the negative effects on concentration and behaviour contains snus carcinogens. According to the Cancer society increases the use of snus and other smokeless tobacco risk for cancers of the pancreas, esophagus and oral cavity.
the Sale and marketing of snus is illegal in Denmark
Snuff belongs to the group of smokeless tobacco, which also includes tyggetobak, tobakpastiller and oblique.
Snus contains nicotine and a variety of other substances. There are identified up to 28 carcinogens in snuff.
the Sale and marketing of snus is illegal in Denmark and throughout the rest of the EU.
Sweden is the only EU country the right to sell and market the snuff due to an exception in the Tobaksdirektivet. It does not apply to sales to or in Denmark.
According to a study from 2015, using the app. 0.4% of the Danish population snus on a daily basis
Source: the national board of Health
