Danger of hidden drugs in vape liquids
IT is incumbent upon the incoming government to proceed with the adoption of the tobacco generational endgame (GEG) law soonest possible and also ban the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) completely. Allowing the use of ENDS to continue could create a massive drug addiction problem for generations to come as it’s an accepted fact that illicit drugs can be packed in e-liquid bottles.
In November 2019, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) explicitly warned that vape should be banned – not regulated – because it is impossible to monitor the hundreds of both legal and illegal e-liquid brands in the market.
Our darkest fears about druglaced e-liquids being sold openly were confirmed by Bukit Aman not long afterwards.
We are calling for ENDS to be banned for the following reasons.
> E-liquids with illicit drugs can be packed in bottles with fake labels. It is humanly impossible for the government to monitor the products sold by some 3,000 domestic vape retailers, a fact confirmed by Drugwatch, a consumer advocacy organisation based in the United States.
Drugwatch pointed out that part of the reason is, in the case of the US, because the “Food and Drug Administration hasn’t reviewed ingredients or set standards. There are many brands and flavours with many different ingredients.”
> It is possible to include certain illicit drugs such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) (both are ingredients in marijuana), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and ketamine in e-liquids.
> E-liquid composition may have to be tested using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GCMS) methods with instruments only found in modern analytical chemistry laboratories. The tests are expensive and an unnecessary fiscal burden to the government.
> A study conducted in Malaysia in 2017 revealed that 54% of the vapers interviewed obtained their zero-nicotine e-liquid from the black market while 30% obtained homemade e-liquid. The government should not be naïve to assume that there is no black market for e-liquids. As a matter of fact, e-liquids can easily be formulated “in the kitchen” with only basic equipment.
> There is also the likelihood for unscrupulous people to use cheaper industrial-grade chemicals instead of food grade ones. Industrial-grade chemicals are not so critical about certain contaminants, depending on the chemical and its intended use.
How can officers distinguish between genuine e-liquids and those that have been laced with illicit drugs since they use the same type of vaping device? As such, we reiterate our call to the incoming government to adopt the tobacco GEG and impose a blanket ban on ENDS as soon as possible.