Cloud over vaping trend

The vape was created as a substitute for cigarettes, especially for those who want to call it quits. However, while vaping is trending in Malaysia, even among those who have never smoked cigarettes in their lives, there is a danger that it ultimately encourages smoking.

Many of those who smoked their first cigarette did so because it was presented as a “cool” thing to do. In more modern times, shisha landed on Malaysian shores and again another set of youths and teenagers felt smoking it was a symbol of coolness. And it’s practically available at most street outlets at night.

After this we saw the arrival of the first E-cigarettes, and now its successor – the electronically powered smoking device called the vape.

The vape first reached our shores in the last two to three years. The E-cigarette was here slightly earlier but it was not well received by the public, perhaps due to lack of publicity.

On the other hand, the vapequickly caught on and became Malaysia’s latest smoking craze soon after it was introduced in the country. Now, vape-dedicated online shops are springing up everywhere, especially on Facebook.

Starter packs are available from as cheap as one hundred ringgit while higher-end packages sometimes go into the thousands of ringgit.

Government and anti-smoke crusades

Issues on vape have made the headlines recently. The Malaysian Health Ministry issued a statement saying vape, or even shisha is not safe until further studies prove otherwise.

Health Minister, Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam, says the ministry is looking at vape as only a different method of smoking, presuming similar side effects of tobacco in the long run.

“The smokers will experience the usual effects of smoking, except that the tar content might be lower while the nicotine effect remains the same,” he says.

Meantime, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) recently set up a task force to investigate drug abuse among vapers.

According to Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director, Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff, police are focusing on the e-liquid used in vape to give it flavor as possibly containing drugs or illegal substances.

Shisha also did not miss the headlines during its days. The Melaka state  government strictly enforced a ban on shisha smoking in July 2009. The state has since banned smoking in public since the launch of its “Smoke-free Melaka” campaign in 2011.

For Muslims, this Aug 18, the Malaysia Fatwa Council announced that vape is haram. The decision follows a similar one on shisha that was made in July 2013.

However, an independent review published by Public Health England (PHE) says that e-cigarettes (or vape) is 95% safer than cigarettes.

The research was led by Professor Ann McNeill form King’s College London.

Contrary to Subramaniam’s statement, McNeill suggests that e-cigarette could be the game-changer in reducing health issues caused by smoking.

The review sparked a global uproar, since vape had earlier been banned in countries such as Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Brazil and Singapore on the belief that a lack of studies on its safety may harm end users.

There were also opinions that e-cigarette may cause a nicotine overdose – which is true considering some small scale e-liquid producers do not have the capacity to determine the amount of nicotine in their e-liquids.

Vape’s economical factor

Many cigarette smokers turned to vape on the basis that it saves them money – which is highly debatable. Some argue that vapers spend slightly more than their cigarette-smoking counterparts.

In the booming vape market, e-liquids are available in hundreds, if not thousands of different flavors. Imported e-liquids are sold at higher prices compared to locally-made ones.

A survey on ono.com.my website shows that e-liquids are priced at the range of 20 and 95 ringgit depending on flavor, quantity and their country of origin.

While the Malaysian-made e-liquids are considerably cheaper, their safety is highly questionable. This is because many of the local e-liquids are home-made.

Unlike American ones which undergo proper manufacturing processes, locally-made e-liquids are usually produced in the privacy of one’s home.

Therefore when we talk about safety, Malaysian e-liquids are highly dubious. Many choose imported e-liquids instead which causes them to spend more on vaping then cigarettes.

According to Vape Kaki founder, Kenny Yong, an average consumer will consume around 3ml of e-liquids in a day.

He says that compared to cigarettes which cost almost RM14 a pack, e-liquids cost only RM40 for five days of consumption.

“In the long term, vape is far more economical for smokers, though the initial cost may seem high. A good vape device will last for years,” he adds.

When it comes to initial costs, Kenny says that a decent starter pack can cost from as low as RM200 and may at times go to as high as RM3,000 or RM4,000. “It all depends on your preferences,” he says.

“Your choice very much depends on your financial ability. It is like having the option to buy a Japanese car or a Ferrari for the more well-off,” he says.

Smoking indoors

Take a short walk in public places, or even in shopping malls, and one will usually bump into a vaperor two, puffing away without a care in the world.

While vaping is a non-issue to most Malaysians, smoking indoors, especially in public places has annoyed (read angered) many.

Cigarette smokers have long abided to the prohibition of indoor smoking. Gone were the days where people smoked in public places such as cinemas and hospitals.

But how about vape and its fruity-smelling, chimney-like smoke?Doesn’t it contaminate the air as well?

So far there is no regulations prohibiting vaping indoors. And vapers claim the smoke produced through vaping is not harmful, and hence there is no reason to ban the habit indoors. This is debatable of course.

WHO – we have to wait

Dr Armando Peruga of the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed his concern over the global boom in vaping.

Having spent the last two decades controlling tobacco, he says that the number of studies carried out on vaping and its effects is relatively low.

“It would take about five to 10 years before we have evidence that could change the current picture,” he says.

Peruga adds that the concern with safety is that the refillable devices are exposed to social abuse.

His concern is that there are possibilities for end users to include illegal substances as a substitute for the normal e-liquids available in the market.

Correcting misconceptions

For Vape Kaki founders Kenny Yong, Cassandra Chin, Joey Khor and Wong Kang Shen, the vape market in Malaysia is huge – and it is getting bigger.

“Malaysia is the second largest vape consumer in the world, next to the USA,” Kenny says.

Cassandra adds that since the vape first came in to Malaysia around three years ago, it became the in-thing for Malaysians from all walks of life.

Many take vape as a very good replacement to conventional cigarettes. Some are able to drastically cut down on their cigarette intake as well.

“When the e-cigarette first arrived, it did not succeed in penetrating the market due to the high cost and low technology. Vape, on the other hand is customisable and comes in a  variety of flavors. Hence the small mass of fans,” says Cassandra.

Safety

On the safety aspects, both Kenny and Cassandra agree that there are still possibilities of accidents if vape devices and e-liquids are not properly used.

“There are occasions where vape devices have caught fire due to over-heating. This usually happens when a smoker operates his vape while charging it at the same time. The device becomes too hot, and there are high possibilities of explosions,” says Kenny.

Cassandra adds that consumers should be aware of the safety aspects of operating their vapes.

In so far as the safety of the e-liquid is concerned, both agree that the local producers fall short in terms of safety and health issues.

The manufacturing process of local e-liquids is also unverified and unknown. Therefore many opt to consume imported e-liquids which guarantee safety, despite the high cost.

Kenny says that other than local e-liquids, there are those that are imported from the US and France as well.

These imported e-liquids are a little pricy, but they are made under strict regulations so there is no doubt in terms of their safety.

“The majority of US-made e-liquids are FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved. They undergo proper manufacturing processes, and safety is highly monitored throughout their manufacturing stages. And most e-liquids are made of food grade ingredients too,” he says.

Cigarette vs smoke

They also agree that vape has more positive differences compared to cigarettes. Having smoked cigarettes for the last six years, Cassandra says, “one obvious difference is that my mouth does not smell like an ashtray anymore. My sense of taste has improved as well”.

Kenny says there are some Viper Challenge participants who turned from cigarette to vape, knowing the fact that it does not really affect their fitness level.

He says that, like cigarettes, vape too contains different levels of nicotine to cater to different kinds of end users.

However, he argues that by vaping, one can totally avoid the side effect of tar which is very harmful to health.

Malaysia needs regulation

Vape Kaki promotes and advocates stricter regulations for the mass market.

According to Kenny Yong, the huge market is really in need of proper regulations to avoid abuse and misuse. He says that local vape communities have set their own regulations, especially in retail markets.

“Minors are not allowed into the shop. Selling vape related items to school-goers is a total no-no for us,” he says.

The issue today is with the online markets. In online shops, sellers do not know who is at the other end of the line. Through online shops, school children are able to acquire these shisha sticks or even the pricier vapes.

“As business owners, we are trying our best to nurture and protect the industry. In order to do this, we really need proper regulations by the government,” Cassandra adds.

She also says that the community is ready to practice proper regulations and promote greater awareness.

Growing community, growing concerns

The vape community is growing over time. Each day more and more cigarette smokers are turning to vape as another solution to the addiction.

The fact that they are growing in numbers is a sign that vaping has really earned its place as a substitute for cigarettes.The community begins with manufacturers, e-liquid brewers and the list goes on until end-consumers.

The fact that vape is customisable too has managed to gather it quite a following. Many of us organise meet-ups where we sit and discuss technology.

“During these meet-ups, we share knowledge on safety, modifications and maintenance. We encourage others to spread awareness so that there will be no misconception over vaping and its community,” Kenny says.