\n<\/p>\n
According to the World Health Organization, there were more than 6 million e-cigarette smokers in Indonesia as of 2021, around 3 per cent of the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n
Roy of BNN said e-cigarettes’ popularity among Indonesians created the perfect cover for drug traffickers looking to disguise their illicit substances as consumer products that are compact and easy to transport.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t know that they are drugs if you don\u2019t test them in a lab,\u201d the one-star police general said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evan, not his real name, has struggled with drug addiction since his mid-teens and has been arrested three times for drug-related offences.<\/span><\/p>\n He was just 17 when he was first caught with cannabis in 2013. Because it was his first offence, he was released with a warning.<\/span><\/p>\n Nearly a decade later, in 2022, he was arrested again, this time for possessing a small amount of methamphetamine. He avoided jail, with a court ordering him to undergo six months of mandatory rehabilitation instead.<\/span><\/p>\n But shortly after completing the programme, Evan discovered what he thought was a more convenient and discreet way to continue using drugs: e-cigarettes laced with synthetic cannabinoids.<\/span><\/p>\n “The vape tasted like strawberry but had the effects of cannabis,” the audio engineer told CNA.<\/span><\/p>\n With a vape, Evan said, he looked no different from millions of other Indonesians who use e-cigarettes.<\/span><\/p>\n