The District Prosecutor of Pleven, Vladimir Nikolov, has called for a ban on the sale of vapes to prevent more young lives from being lost to this dangerous trend. This comes after an investigation into the tragic death of a young boy who fell from the 7th floor on the first day of the year, after using a vape. The investigation revealed that the vape contained a significant dose of a narcotic substance, and the boy had suffered from sudden death syndrome.
In the BNT campaign "Don't Breathe Death", the serious consequences of using vapes among young people are highlighted. The investigation revealed that the vape involved in the incident contained hexahydrocannabinol, a semi-synthetic drug far stronger than THC, the active substance in marijuana. According to experts, the excessive use of this substance caused immediate confusion, hallucinations, and erratic behaviour in the boy, ultimately leading to his tragic end.
The toxic vape cost 50 BGN and was purchased by the boy’s underage friend. Despite efforts by psychologists to support the boy's classmates, the use of cigarettes and vapes among students has not decreased.
"It was categorically proven that the vape contained hexahydrocannabinol. A semi-synthetic drug, much stronger than the natural tetrahydrocannabinol found in marijuana. A literal explosion occurred in the boy's psyche, and according to the expert's report, almost immediately after excessive use of this substance, confusion, hallucinations, and behaviour occurred, which led to the tragic outcome," explained Vladimir Nikolov, the District Prosecutor of Pleven.
"After 3-4 months of using these substances, these people become obsessed and begin to hallucinate," explained Valentin Minkov, a psychologist at the preventive information center for addictions in Pleven.
The boy, who studied pop and jazz singing at the Music High School in Pleven, received the deadly vape from a friend in his group, who was also underage. She had ordered it from a website. After the tragedy, psychologists have been working with the classmates of the deceased child, but the use of cigarettes and vapes has not decreased.
Banned drug found in the vape of the boy who died after falling from 7th floor of a block of flats in Pleven
"Unfortunately, there are no people who have quit. But personally, this really shocked us, especially me," said one of the classmates.
"I am very determined that there should be no students smoking in my school. Since I’ve noticed that they might smoke in more remote areas near other places, I have taken measures by assigning teachers to monitor those areas so that they can control the students and prevent them from reaching for cigarettes, vapes, and other devices," said Rumen Todorov – the principal of the Music High School in Pleven.
"They sell them there - at kiosks people sell them to minors, I have also seen on social networks, for example on Instagram someone got such a vape device and they sell it through Instagram to other friends," said a student.
According to psychologist Valentin Minkov from the Addiction Prevention Information Center in Pleven, the biggest challenge is convincing parents that the dangerous vaping trend has reached their children.
"There are problems in getting parents to accept that their children are engaging in risky behaviour. They almost feel like they have failed as parents. The consequences can be drastic, both for the physical and mental health," believes Valentin Minkov.
Children are often deliberately targeted in the illegal sale of vapes since they are not held criminally responsible. Vape devices containing deadly substances bring quick and easy money for those who produce and sell them. In Pleven, an illegal lab was uncovered where an individual was mixing these dangerous substances on his own.
Vladimir Nikolov noted that in the country there are both larger and smaller laboratories where individuals prepare these dangerous substances.
According to him, the sale of vapes should be completely banned, and the list of prohibited substances should be regularly updated. Offenders face prison sentences of 5 to 15 years and fines of up to 100,000 BGN.
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