MANILA — Vape stores prioritizing profit over the youth’s welfare will soon find themselves in hot water. 

This, following a meeting between Department of Health (DOH) and Philippine National Police (PNP) officials that resulted in an agreement to apprehend sellers of vape products who allow minors to buy their goods.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said those found to be selling products to minors cannot invoke ignorance of the child’s age.

“Isa pang invalid defense, ‘Hindi naman para sa kaniya ‘yung pag bili kundi para sa ibang tao.’ It is the duty of the seller to check. Kung kailangan humingi ng ID, ‘Patinging ng ID mo’, ‘Ilang taon ka na?’ Hindi pwedeng excuse ‘yung ‘eh mukha naman siyang matanda.’ That’s not acceptable, sabi ng PNP,” he said.

(Another invalid defense is “the child was just told to buy it for another person.” It’s the seller’s duty to check. They need to ask for identification to verify the age. It won’t work to say “the kid looks mature enough.” That’s not acceptable, according to the PNP.)

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The official added this will not only cover vape shops in malls but also smaller stores located in communities, especially those situated near schools. 

Online vape stores – where transactions are much faster and easier – are also in the crosshairs of authorities.

“The PNP is even looking at how to do it, how to implement, when it comes to online [vape stores]. Sabi nila this is also on our radar and inaaral na namin paano manghuli o mang-aresto when it comes to online violations.”

(They say this is also on their radar. They are now studying how to apprehend or arrest sellers who commit violations online.)

While Domingo did not give a definite date as to the crackdown, he says the PNP wants this implemented soonest.

VAPERS GROUP SUPPORTS

The Vapers Alliance, a group composed of vape users and product sellers, expressed support to the move.

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According to its president, Pando Rodrigo, vape products were never made for minors but as an option for smokers who want to quit the habit and opt for a “safer alternative.”

“Meron kaming internal policing among our ranks. (We police our ranks) We try to make sure that these people are not putting their stores near areas where there are kids,” Rodrigo said.

Rodrigo also discouraged the youth from trying out vape products for the first time.

Despite reminders from vape sellers themselves, data has shown that the number of children who use electronic cigarettes have been steadily increasing, posing risks to their lungs, which have yet to fully develop.

HEALTH RISKS 

Data from the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey shows that one in every seven child aged 13 to 15 years have used electronic cigarettes.

In the same survey “ever users”, defined as those who have neither ever tried smoking nor vaping but have suddenly opted to use electronic cigarettes, have significantly increased in just four years — from one out of 10 children in 2015, the figure rose to one out of every four in 2019 for the same age group.

DOH says studies have shown that vape products have caused conditions known as e-cigarette and vape use-associated lung injuries (EVALI) to those who use them.

Domingo said among the impacts of vapes on lungs is the decline in elasticity making it harder for an individual to breath.

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“‘Yung dating elastic na bahagi ng baga, ‘di na siya gano’n kabilis bumalik sa dati. Ano ang manifestations niyan? Para kang may hika; hirap kang huminga. Maaaring hirap kang mag-inhale kasi ‘di mo kayang batakin ang baga mo or nahihirapan kang mag-exhale kasi pag buga mo ng hangin, para bang may bumabara.”

(The elastic portions of the lungs take more time to return to its old form. How does this manifest? The feeling is similar to an asthma attack; it’s hard to breathe. It’s either difficult to inhale because the lungs don’t expand as much or difficult to exhale because when you expel air, it’s as if something is lodged in the airway.)

While cigarettes and vape products have been coined as stress busters, health experts said there are a myriad of ways to de-stress and relax. Among them is exercising, which leads to the production of dopamine — a hormone causing feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation.

Yoga and meditation are also effective ways to cut on cigarette addiction. But if nicotine addiction cannot be overcome, Domingo advises an individual to opt for medically-approved nicotine patches.