Electronic cigarettes and the unpredictable dangers for young people

Floating item

Although not licensed or quality supervised by any authority, the businesselectronic cigarettestill occurs widely on social networking sites. Just type in the phrase “electronic cigarettes” or “electronic cigarettes in Vinh” and Facebook will show hundreds of business pages or e-cigarette groups. There is even an e-cigarette group called “Pod chill Vinh” or “Total Pod chill in Vinh”… with thousands of members, sharing experiences as well as the “high” of each type of cigarette.

Each type of cigarette has a different price depending on its weight and severity. The average price that people advertise on social networks is from 250,000 - 400,000 VND/cigarette. In addition, there are hand-rolled cigarettes (fun cigarettes), with many different flavors, priced from 50,000 VND/cigarette.

Image of a Facebook page selling electronic cigarettes. Photo: Tien Dong

According to our research, electronic cigarettes have entered Nghe An in the past 4-5 years. Unlike traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes have many types and components. Users use the suction head and then pour in essential oils for use. There are also types of suction heads and essential oils that are pre-attached together, used for a period of time and then discarded.

According to Decree 76 dated October 22, 2001 on tobacco production and trading activities of the Government, all activities of importing and consuming tobacco products manufactured abroad in the Vietnamese market are strictly prohibited. Because they are prohibited imports, electronic cigarettes and electronic cigarette parts are currently mainly traded illegally.

Major Ho Tuan Anh - Deputy Head of the Economic and Position Crime Investigation Police Team, Vinh City Police said: Through understanding the situation, there are mainly 3 types of electronic cigarettes smuggled into Nghe An. Type 1 is Vape (called Vet), this is a type of electronic cigarette that uses essential oils. Users must buy a machine, after smoking it all, they continue to pour essential oils into it for use. This type is often used by many people to quit smoking or try essential oils. The second type is a cigarette type, with many different flavors, each cigarette can be smoked for a few thousand puffs and then thrown away. The third type is Pod Chill, the strongest hallucinogenic type.

Many types of electronic cigarettes have been seized by authorities recently. Photo: Tien Dong

According to Major Ho Tuan Anh, there are currently no documents or regulations allowing the trading of electronic cigarettes. However, for profit, many people often take advantage of separating different parts of electronic cigarettes and then selling them on the Nghe An market, mainly in Vinh City or towns.

According to data from Vinh City Police, from 2020 to now, this unit has caught and seized thousands of e-cigarette products, essential oils and accessories for use with e-cigarettes without invoices or documents proving the legality of the goods. There are even e-cigarette businesses that are secretly sold in coffee shops and fast food restaurants.

Typically, on April 23, 2021, at a coffee shop located on Phan Chu Trinh Street (Doi Cung Ward, Vinh City), the police force seized more than 600 products used for electronic cigarettes. On May 7, 2021, at a fast food store located at 72 Nguyen Thai Hoc, also in Doi Cung Ward, the police force seized 60 electronic cigarette products, 20 bottles of essential oils, and 10 packs of strong hallucinogenic cigarettes.

Pod Chill - the most powerful hallucinogenic e-cigarette today. Photo: Tien Dong

Since the beginning of 2022, Vinh City Police have also seized more than 20,000 e-cigarettes and products for e-cigarettes. Most notably, in August 2022, Vinh City Police arrested VA (born in 1996, residing in Vinh City) at the old bus station in Le Loi Ward, when VA was trying to sell 10,000 e-cigarettes. In addition, the authorities also inspected and seized 1,000 Pod chill e-cigarettes, 500 happy cigarettes, and more than 30 laughing gas bottles from NVH in Hung Binh Ward.

Unpredictable dangers

Although the sale of e-cigarettes in Vinh City is quite secretive, only publicly available on social networking sites for individuals who are members of associations and groups. However, in reality, the use is almost public. At coffee shops, snack shops or milk tea shops, it is not difficult to see images of young people and students gathering in groups of five or seven, passing around e-cigarettes, occasionally releasing fruity and essential oil-scented smoke into the sky. Not only male students, female students also use this type of e-cigarette, which surprises many people.

Since the beginning of the year, Vinh City Police have seized more than 20,000 electronic cigarettes. Photo: Tien Dong

Most recently, on October 30, a clip recording the scene of 3 elementary school-aged children gathering to smoke electronic cigarettes, allegedly in front of Cua Tien Home Apartment (Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) received many comments from the online community. Many people expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that parents did not closely monitor their children, allowing them to use electronic cigarettes openly.

It can be seen that cigarettes in general and e-cigarettes in particular are not encouraged to be traded or used. In particular, with e-cigarettes, this item is not domestically produced but is mainly smuggled from abroad. Although it is strictly prohibited and there are very strict sanctions for smuggling and illegal trading of goods of unknown origin, e-cigarettes and products used for e-cigarettes such as essential oils, pipes, etc. are still secretly traded.

The respiratory tract mucosa is very easily absorbed, so when using tobacco for a long time, if mild, it will cause bronchial obstruction, if severe, it will cause lung cancer. Not to mention that electronic cigarettes do not have a clear origin, so it is even more dangerous.

Doctor CK1 Thai Dinh Lam - Deputy Director of Nghe An Lung Hospital

Some people also sell rolled tobacco, which contains stimulants and hallucinogens that are very harmful to health. Photo: Tien Dong

Doctor CK1 Thai Dinh Lam - Deputy Director of Nghe An Lung Hospital said: All types of cigarettes affect the health of users. For electronic cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco leaves like normal cigarettes, but in fact they are a simulation device containing essential oils with all kinds of flavors inside. If a regular cigarette will use fire to burn, then an electronic cigarette will use electricity to burn the liquid inside it. After being burned, the liquid will turn into a stream of vapor that has the same taste and feeling as smoking a real cigarette.

In particular, in addition to nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance similar to drugs, e-cigarettes also contain many other unidentified chemicals, or heavy metals, ultra-fine particles and toxic ingredients that can cause hallucinations, causing smokers to lose their ability to act. Not to mention that because they are mainly smuggled, stimulants can be mixed into the cigarettes, which greatly affects the central nervous system.

Many opinions say that before e-cigarettes can cause consequences to health and life, parents and schools need to increase propaganda so that students and young people understand the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. In addition, agencies such as the Police, Market Management, Border Guard, and Customs also need to increase control activities, not allowing e-cigarettes as well as products serving e-cigarettes to be smuggled into the market in any situation or form.

Tien Dong