Vapeboss - The development of the vape or electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) industry in Indonesia is quite significant. This is because the use of these products is becoming a trend among the public, especially adult smokers who want to quit their habit.

However, recently, a negative campaign emerged, criticizing the medical aspects of e-cigarette consumption. Unfortunately, the vape industry has not yet been able to refute these campaigns due to the lack of scientific studies that should be the industry's foundation.

Esther Sri Astuti, Program Director of the Institute of Development on Economics and Finance (Indef), stated that information about the risks and benefits of alternative tobacco products should be disseminated based on scientific facts.

"Indeed, research on the use of alternative tobacco in Indonesia is still very lacking, especially research from a health perspective. In other countries, there is a lot of research on alternative tobacco, especially from a health standpoint, which states that people who smoke using vapes have fewer risks, so it is used as an alternative for people who want to quit smoking," she said on Monday (17/4/2023).

Esther added that widespread education and information regarding alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes are needed by the public. This includes transparency and scientific data. This is because these products have different characteristics from conventional cigarettes, one of which is that they do not contain TAR.

"There needs to be a lot of research on the health benefits of smoking with alternative tobacco. There's a professor from Unpad whose research findings indicate that alternative tobacco can reduce tooth decay. But such research is still very rare," she said.

Meanwhile, in the UK, research conducted by the UK Health Authority states that the risk of e-cigarette consumption is much more health-friendly than smoking. In fact, the country facilitates its citizens to switch from conventional cigarettes through a program that distributes 1 million vapes.

Source: Kontan