BNN Responds to Findings of Psychotropic Substances in Vape Samples

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) hopes for a ban on vaping following the discovery of several psychotropic substances, such as cannabinoids, methamphetamine, and etomidate, based on laboratory test results. This was stated by the Head of BNN, Komjen Suyudi Ario Seto, during a hearing at Commission III of the House of Representatives, in the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (7/4). “It is a great hope for BNN that a vaping ban can be implemented in Indonesia, because vapes have been proven to be misused as a medium to fill with etomidate,” said Suyudi. BNN, according to Suyudi, has conducted laboratory tests on 341 vape liquid samples and found surprising results. In the testing, 11 vape samples were found to contain synthetic cannabinoids, one sample contained methamphetamine or sabu, and 23 samples were proven to contain the anaesthetic etomidate. Meanwhile, referring to Minister of Health Regulation Number 15 of 2025, since 28 November 2025, etomidate has officially been categorised as a Schedule II narcotic. “Previously, enforcement against this type of case could only use health laws, which inherently carry lighter penalties,” said Suyudi. Suyudi added that the development of narcotic substances is now moving quickly. Currently, 1,386 new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been identified circulating worldwide, with 175 of them identified in Indonesia. Therefore, he hopes the government will soon take a firm stance and immediately ban the use of vapes. Moreover, several other ASEAN countries have already done so. “We can see the firmness of countries in the ASEAN region such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and Laos, which have already taken steps to ban the circulation of vapes in their countries,” he said.