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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Vape Community Tests Negative for Drugs, Calls for Crackdown on Illegal Sales

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A vape community in Bekasi, Indonesia, conducted voluntary urine tests, with all 50 participants testing negative for narcotics.
  • The initiative aimed to demonstrate that legal alternative tobacco products are not linked to drug abuse and to counter public misperceptions.
  • Vape industry associations are urging the government to crack down on illegal vape sales, which harm compliant businesses and undermine regulatory efforts.

In a proactive move to combat the stigma surrounding electronic cigarettes, the Therion DNA Indonesia community recently organized a 'Halalbihalal Vapers' event that included voluntary urine tests for its members. The results, confirmed by the Bekasi Regency Narcotics Agency Counselor, showed all 50 participants were free of narcotics, reinforcing the community's stance that legal vape products are distinct from illicit drugs.

Based on the urine test conducted on 50 members, all participants tested negative and no signs of NPS (narcotics, psychotropic, and other addictive substances) use were found.

· Linda, Addiction Counselor for the Bekasi Regency Narcotics AgencyConfirming the negative results of the voluntary urine tests conducted on vape community members.

This initiative directly addresses the ongoing public debate and potential misperceptions linking vaping to drug use. By providing concrete evidence of their members' sobriety, the community aims to educate the public and policymakers. They emphasize that legal, tax-stamped vape products, which adhere to age restrictions, should not be conflated with illegal substances or unregulated products.

The information circulating must be accurate, that this product is not a narcotic.

· Garindra Kartasasmita, Head of the Movement for Tar and Smoke-Free (GEBRAK)Emphasizing the need to correct public misconceptions about vape products.

The Indonesian Vape Retailers Association (Arvindo) supports such community efforts while also calling for stricter government action against the proliferation of illegal vape sales. Arvindo highlights that these illicit sales not only harm legitimate businesses that comply with regulations, including the affixing of excise bands and enforcing age limits, but also pose a greater risk to public health. The association points to the increasing excise revenue from legal vape products as evidence of a growing, regulated market that deserves protection from illegal competition.

Illegal products that contain prohibited substances are the ones that should be targeted, not the legal ones that have excise bands.

· Enggar Dwi Pambudi, Event Organizer and Vape UserDistinguishing between legal and illegal vape products and advocating for targeted enforcement.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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