The Indonesian government intends to prohibit the usage of the widely consumed electronic cigarettes and vape based on a proposal made by the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM).
Head of BPOM, Penny Lukito said the proposal will be included in the revised government regulation (PP) Number 109 the year 2012, about securing material containing addictive substances in the form of tobacco products for health.
Lukito reveals that there are some scientific facts that BPOM was founded to create a proposal to ban the electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) in Indonesia.
“BPOM has retrieved scientific findings that electronic cigarettes contain chemical compounds that are harmful to our health, among them are nicotine, Propilenglikol, flavor (Flavoring), metal, carbonyl, as well as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and diethylene glycol (DEG),” Lukito explained.
Meanwhile, the ideology of using vapes as a safe product and an alternative method for people to quit smoking is relatively a subjective study. “The WHO stated there is not enough evidence to indicate an electronic cigarette can be used as a therapy to stop smoking.”
According to Lukito, the proposal to ban the usage of electronic cigarettes and vape has been discussed to the Ministry of Health and Coordinating Ministry of Human and Cultural development (PMK) for a while now.
However the Head of Association of Vaper Indonesia (AVI), Johan Sumantri believes that BPOM is proposing this ban due to a fear of citizens dying caused by vape, similar to a case of death in the United States where a vape contained THC liquid, a psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
“The incident that occurred in America has already been clarified by the CDC and the FDA that the cause is vitamin E acetate that is in the THC liquid, which is unavailable in Indonesia,” explained Johan.
The public relations chief of Indonesia Vaporizer Association (APVI), Rhomedal also expressed “the vape industry contributes to Indonesia and has been accepted well in spite of only being one year old. One of the sources of this acceptance is through the country’s imposition of excise. The government has picked up 57% of vape tax.”
Source: Detik
Image: Gulf News