site.btaDoctors and Athletes Join Initiative to Reduce Use of Nitrous Oxide, Designer Drugs, Vapes Among Children

Doctors and well-known athletes are warning about the harmful effects of nitrous oxide, vapes, and designer drugs in videos to be shown across Bulgarian schools. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the State Agency for Child Protection (SACP), aims to reduce the use of these substances among children. The videos will be distributed to all schools in Bulgaria.

SACP Chair Dr. Teodora Ivanova and Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov expressed gratitude on Thursday to the participating doctors, athletes, and the Customs Agency for their support.

Doctors have already visited schools in over 30 cities, Dr. Ivanova said. Because of the strong interest, video clips were produced featuring medical professionals explaining the physical and psychological harm caused by these substances. An informational leaflet with a QR code linking to the videos has also been developed. From September, the campaign will expand to include meetings with school principals and representatives of retail chains, shopping malls, cinemas and others, to reach as many children as possible.

Since the beginning of 2025, there have been 1,239 reports of children at risk, with more than 10 cases involving children using nitrous oxide reported by the SACP. Despite existing legislation, the use of designer drugs and nitrous oxide continues.

Doctors from major hospitals have taken part in the campaign. Athletes such as Neviana Vladinova, Boryana Kaleyn, and Dimitar Kuzmanov also support the initiative, showing children that success in sports does not require the use of harmful substances.

Doctors warn in the videos that substances such as fentanyl are being added to vapes, leading to rapid and powerful addiction. Designer drugs are difficult to detect in tests, making the type and extent of damage hard to determine. In some cases, the outcome has been fatal because the composition of the substances could not be analyzed in time.