GEORGE TOWN: An intense “high”, glassy eyes and a loss of awareness of surroundings may follow with just a few puffs of drug-laced vape pods, which can now be found at entertainment outlets and even in some schools.
Authorities are raising concerns over fentanyl being detected in vape products, commonly referred to as “zombie drugs” or “piao piao” (meaning floating or drifting in Mandarin).
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Azizee Ismail said newer synthetic drug formulations are “particularly alarming because they are believed to be harder to detect through conventional urine screening tests”.
“This makes the trend of abusing them even more dangerous, especially among schoolchildren and teenagers, as users may assume they can avoid detection,” he said.
These substances, Comm Azizee said, could cause unpredictable psychoactive effects and pose serious risks to health, behaviour and mental well-being.
“We will continue intensifying operations and intelligence gathering to identify syndicates involved in the sale and distribution of these substances,” he said.
Up to May this year, Comm Azizee said police had recorded 115 cases involving drug-laced vape products, with 207 arrests made under the Dangerous Drugs Act and the Poisons Act.
He said the state narcotics department is working closely with the Health Ministry and the Penang Pharmacy Department to combat the misuse of drugs through vape devices.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Penang education officer NV Subbarow claimed that some schoolchildren had become distribution and sales agents for disposable vape products, including those containing drug-infused liquids.
“These students were not only consuming vape products but also receiving commissions from sellers by helping circulate them among their peers,” he said in an interview.
Subbarow also raised concern over reports of drugs mixed with vape liquids, with users describing the sensation as “flying”.
“The contents are inconsistent and may contain multiple unknown substances. The products are cheap, widely accessible and increasingly distributed online and through informal networks.
“Social media platforms make it even more accessible,” he said.
Teachers, he added, had reported behavioural changes among students suspected of nicotine addiction and substance abuse, including increased aggression and defiance.
The problem, once largely confined to adults, had now spread to schools because of easy accessibility, attractive flavours and strong peer influence, Subbarow said.
Primary school pupils, he added, were often exposed to vaping at home.
“Many children told me their fathers or elder brothers vape at home. Schoolchildren usually do not buy vape devices themselves but experiment with devices used by family members,” he said.
Subbarow said cheaper disposable vape devices, some reportedly selling for as low as RM10, had further fuelled uptake among students.
“Flavoured products remains a key attraction.
“Children are attracted to flavours because they dislike the smell of tobacco cigarettes. According to the WHO, there are about 16,000 vape flavours worldwide,” he said, referring to the World Health Organisation.
Subbarow claimed that social media platforms are normalising vaping by portraying it as a trendy habit.
