Vapeboss - The Organized Vape Consumers (KONVO) deplores the recent drug abuse case involving e-cigarette liquid and urges its consumers to always be careful about the products they purchase.

KONVO Chairman, Hokkop Situngkir, stated that he is concerned that the case of drug distribution through e-cigarette liquid could cause unrest among vape consumers and the general public.

"As an association of e-cigarette consumers, we clearly regret the actions of individuals who misuse this e-cigarette liquid, because as users, we certainly feel disturbed," said Hokkop.

For information, the e-cigarette industry is a rapidly growing segment over the last decade. Based on data from The Statista Global Consumer Survey, throughout 2022, approximately 27% of Millennials in America consumed e-cigarettes.

In Japan, the country's Millennials also tend to choose e-cigarettes, and similar trends are observed in other countries.

Meanwhile, the number of e-cigarette users in Indonesia is also increasing. This can be seen from the excise tax revenue in 2021, which rose by 10.24% to IDR 188.81 trillion compared to IDR 170.24 trillion in 2020.

Based on this data, Hokkop hopes that the wider community will understand the function of e-cigarettes as an alternative product.

"With this misuse case, it can certainly give the general public, who are still unfamiliar, a negative impression of e-cigarettes in general," Hokkop said.

Hokkop also explained that the presence of e-cigarettes is a technological innovation to help adult tobacco smokers who want to switch or quit with products that have a lower risk profile.

Therefore, to maximize the potential and benefits of e-cigarettes, KONVO hopes that existing e-cigarette regulations can provide protection for both users and industry players. With clear and fair regulations, misuse of this product should be minimized.

"We, KONVO, sincerely hope that all stakeholders involved can jointly monitor the circulation and sale of excise-taxed e-cigarettes to create the best industry ecosystem for the development of E-Cigarettes in Indonesia," he concluded.

Source: Suara Merdeka