Minister Supports Ban on Vapes to Prevent Drug Abuse

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister for Villages and Underdeveloped Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto has stated his full support for the proposal to ban the circulation of electronic cigarettes or vapes in order to prevent the potential misuse of narcotics in society. According to Minister Yandri, vapes are currently popular among various groups, especially the younger generation, with the number of users continuously increasing, thereby opening avenues for misuse, including as a medium for consuming prohibited substances. “Therefore, I agree with this proposal from the Head of BNN because there is indeed potential for vapes to be misused in relation to drugs,” said Minister Yandri, quoted in Jakarta on Wednesday. The former Deputy Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) further assessed that banning vapes needs to be supported by clear legal regulations in order to provide maximum protection to society from the dangers of drugs that are increasingly spreading. Moreover, Minister Yandri also warned that drug circulation now not only targets urban areas but has also spread to villages. Therefore, according to him, more comprehensive anticipatory steps are needed. “Currently, drugs have targeted rural areas. Therefore, this needs to be a major concern for all of us,” he said. Previously, the Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Suyudi Ario Seto revealed findings of narcotics content in several vape liquid samples tested in the laboratory. He stated that out of 341 samples examined, 11 samples were found to contain cannabinoids or cannabis, and one sample contained methamphetamine or sabu. In addition, the substance etomidate, which is an anaesthetic, was also detected. These findings indicate a new trend in narcotics circulation that exploits electronic cigarette devices, thus requiring serious attention from all stakeholders.