Like many other industries, the e-cigarette industry has been plagued by imitators trying to make a fast buck. As the popularity of e-cigarettes has grown, so has the number of people who manufacture counterfeit e-cigarette products.
Not only these counterfeit drugs are illegal, but they also pose potential health hazards to former smokers who have switched to vaping to stop smoking.
What makes these items unsafe for public consumption, aside from the fact that they are illegal?
Harmful combination of chemicals
Counterfeit vape pods contain harmful substances like toluene, which causes central nervous system depression and arrhythmias to persons acutely exposed, at levels that greatly exceed safe standards.
Also, false advertising is often present in illegal drugs’ packaging, with real nicotine content far exceeding or far below that advertised. Consumers who are attempting to control their nicotine consumption in order to finally stop smoking face a significant health risk as a result of this.
Battery
Many counterfeit e-cigarettes often use recycled batteries repurposed from other electronics to make these fake devices. As they are hidden from consumers’ view, many people are unaware of the danger these fake batteries pose.
As the batteries are made out of a lithium ion cell, worn batteries or those that are poorly made pose an electrical and fire hazard as they are not quality checked nor tested. Worse, incidents of fake e-cigarette devices exploding have also been reported.
How does one can avoid counterfeit vape pods, devices, and the health and safety risks that come with these? Here are four tips to consider:
Purchase only from official stores and authorized resellers
Among the reasons why some consumers are convinced to purchase from illicit traders are outrageous discounts and promos. While blinding, it is important to remember that no discount is worth the cost of safety and health.
Only but to the legitimate, official stores and authorized resellers are already convenient to find online, and they provide interesting promos and discounts for their customers as well.
Check the verification code
Most e-cigarette manufacturers include verification codes in the packaging which users could then verify on the manufacturer’s website to validate their purchase. These codes are helpful in separating counterfeit products from the legitimate ones.
Visual inspection
While adding verification codes is already a good solution against counterfeit products, there are some knockoff manufacturers that can actually track down official codes and add them to their packaging. For this reason, users should also inspect their devices physically.
Oftentimes, fake pods and devices are transparent, have unique engravings on the body of the device itself, or co-branded logos which are not usually the design of legitimate items.
Taste
There are times when it would still be difficult to discern a legitimate product based on sight and touch alone. A last resort to verify the authenticity of the product is to take a quick puff and analyze the taste and resistance during inhalation. Fake flavor pods, generally, do not taste good and have minimal resistance.
Consumers of e-cigarettes should always rely on legitimate goods to protect themselves. Discounts may seem appealing at first, but the costs and damage they cause always outweigh any savings.
