With various governments worldwide issuing bans on disposable electronic cigarettes, the illicit e-cigarette market has increasingly thrived. This phenomenon has currently reached a critical juncture that demands strict regulation. Thus, what kind of impact of black market electronic cigarettes have on society and individuals? Take the situation of illegal e-cigarette sales in Italy as an example, let’s explore the severity of this global issue and its potential consequences.
Recently, the authoritative data agency Ipsos-Logista released a startling research report focusing on the illegal sales of electronic cigarettes in the Italian market. According to the report, the turnover from the sale of electronic cigarettes through unofficial channels in Italy reached a staggering €183.9 million, with over 62.3% of the sales being made mainly online.
What does this data signify? Let’s compare it with the 2023 Chinese exports of electronic cigarettes to Italy. According to official data, China’s e-cigarette exports to Italy amounted to only €76.19 million in 2023. However, illegal e-cigarette sales in Italy surpassed this figure by an astonishing 136.13%.
This comparison highlights the massive scale and rampant nature of the illegal e-cigarette market in Italy, revealing that illicit e-cigarette transactions pose a serious threat to the legitimate market.
Federico Rella, Vice President and Corporate Affairs Director of Logista Italia, highlighted that the illicit sale of electronic cigarettes poses a serious threat to national strategic resources including up to $620 million in state tax losses and approximately 5,100 job losses. A further worry is the uncertainty and potential risks to societal safety because of the lack of effective regulation and legal constraints on illicit e-cigarettes adulterated with illegal substances such as marijuana.
Let’s continue to delve deeper into the impact of the black market electronic cigarettes on society and individuals.
What are the risks of using black market electronic cigarettes?
For society:
It is known that the impact of black-market electronic cigarettes on society is profound and multifaceted. The presence and spread of black market electronic cigarettes have brought significant negative consequences on national tax revenue, employment environment, social public health services, administrative enforcement pressure on government departments, and so on.
Firstly, from the perspective of national tax revenue, the sale of black market electronic cigarettes circumvents legitimate tax channels, resulting in a significant loss of national tax revenue.
According to research conducted by Ipsos-Logista, the illicit sale of electronic cigarettes in Italy has resulted in the loss of more than $620 million in tax revenue for the country. This lost revenue could have been used to improve public services, social welfare and national infrastructure, but instead was wasted due to the existence of black market electronic cigarettes.
Secondly, the impact of black-market electronic cigarettes on the employment environment is evident. The manufacturers and sellers of black-market electronic cigarettes are not under the control of laws and standards. They rapidly capture market share and squeeze the survival of legitimate electronic cigarette production and sales enterprises through illegal means and low-price competition.
To deal with these challenges, some legitimate companies have to resort to measures such as reducing personnel and lowering production costs to maintain operations, and others may even face the risk of bankruptcy as a result.
According to Ipsos-Logista’s research, the rampant illicit sale of electronic cigarettes has led to the loss of up to 5,100 jobs in Italy. When compared with the total employment population of 23.61 million in Italy provided by Statista for the year 2024, it is obvious that this is a significant figure.
Furthermore, the existence of black market electronic cigarettes poses a significant threat to public health services. Due to the lack of necessary regulations and stringent quality control, these products cannot guarantee the exact composition and safety. Consumers purchasing and using these black market electronic cigarettes often suffer a range of unknown health risks. As more and more people using black market electronic cigarettes experience illnesses, which contributes to the increased burden on healthcare resources, potentially putting immense pressure on the healthcare system.This could lead to a serious impact on the entire societal public health system, weakening its ability to address other public health challenges.
Is it illegal to sell vapes?
In most countries and regions, selling unauthorized electronic cigarette products or those products that fail to meet local legal standards is considered a serious violation of the law.In order to effectively combat the production and sale of black market electronic cigarettes, government departments have to allocate significant manpower, resources, and finances for intensive supervision and enforcement actions. Currently, many countries around the world have implemented strict regulatory measures to sweep the illegal sale of electronic cigarettes, including but not limited to hefty fines and possible imprisonment.For example, in Sydney, the penalties for illegal electronic cigarette sales are quite severe, with fines of up to AUD1650 and the possibility of facing 6 months imprisonment.
At the same time, due to the exceptionally high profit of the black market electronic cigarettes under various strict regulations on electronic cigarettes, criminal activities related to the sale and distribution of black market electronic cigarettes have surged globally. These criminal activities not only disrupt market order but also present unprecedented challenges to government departments.
For individuals:
Based on Ipsos-Logista’s, we conducted in-depth research into the illegal sale of electronic cigarettes in Italy and found that: Online platforms is the primary sales channel for illegal electronic cigarettes. Additionally, in terms of the demographic characteristics of buyers, the main consumer group in this market is males under the age of 35. These consumers often exhibit a tendency towards risk-taking and hold a relatively optimistic attitude towards the safety of black market electronic cigarettes.Compared to potential health risks, they prioritize the money they can save by purchasing illegal electronic cigarettes.
It is essential that raise awareness of the dangers of black market electronic cigarettes!
When you choose to purchase electronic cigarettes from the black market, you are actually entering an unknown field lacking effective regulation.Reputable electronic cigarette manufacturers who adhere to laws and regulations, hold certifications and provide reliable, high-quality products and professional services for vapers, however, the products you purchase in the black market may have defeated design or manufacturing, making them more prone to damage.
Besides, if you encounter any usage issues or repair requirements, you will not receive the necessary after-sales service support.Moreover, these illegal products may have hidden serious health risks. The use of unknown-origin flavorings, low-quality nicotine, or even electronic cigarette batteries that do not meet safety standards and other potential hazards could create serious harm to customers’ health. In many cases of illegal electronic cigarette sales today, there are reports of criminals adding synthetic cannabinoids, such as synthetic THC, and other substances like fentanyl to illegal electronic cigarettes.
After inhaling these illegally modified electronic cigarettes, the users will experience symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.Along with these physical symptoms, there may be a sense of disorientation and hallucinations.
For those unlucky users, more severe consequences are possible to come with – shock, asphyxiation, and in the most extreme cases, sudden death.
Last, purchase black market electronic cigarettes may result in severe legal consequences.
The potential harm of black market electronic cigarettes include:
(1) Hardware issues: Including but not limited to malfunctions and instability, which may lead to safety hazards like battery explosions.
(2) Contaminants and impurities: Such as components containing harmful metals, leading to various serious health and environmental issues.
(3) Unknown compounds: Non-food grade flavorings.
(4) Unknown additives: Synthetic drugs or other illegal additives may be mixed into the products.
(5) Nicotine content: Excessive nicotine content breaks the law and low-quality counterfeit nicotine.
(6) Bacterial contamination: Poor hygiene conditions in the production environment provide a breeding ground for contaminants.
What are the symptoms of blackmarket vape?
(1) Illegal electronic cigarette products often lack proper packaging and they are typically sold directly exposed without any protective measures.
(2) Illegal electronic cigarette products often lack essential information such as brand identification, date of manufacture, expiration date, and ingredients list.
(3) There is a phenomenon of counterfeit well-known brand electronic cigarettes, with these products imitating the appearance and features of genuine ones. For example, last May, LBC reported two incidents involving minors purchasing zero-nicotine electronic cigarettes of the brand Lost Mary on Amazon. Age verification was not conducted during the purchase process, and the products contained nicotine indeed. In response, Lost Mary declared these to be counterfeit products not manufactured by them. This incident highlights the stealthiness and potential risks of illegal electronic cigarette products.
(4) Illegal electronic cigarette products are often sold through illicit channels. Therefore, if you purchase electronic cigarette products from unofficial offline stores or unauthorized online retailers, there is a possibility of buying illegal electronic cigarette products.
(5) Illegal electronic cigarette products often lose necessary electronic cigarette certification marks, such as RoHS, IC certification, and battery CB certification.
How to check if a vape is authentic?
When considering purchasing electronic cigarettes, it’s crucial to ensure that you choose legitimate products. Here are several effective methods for identifying legitimate electronic cigarette products:
Firstly, you can identify them by checking for certification marks on the product packaging. Legitimate electronic cigarette products typically feature various certification marks on the packaging or the product itself, such as the CE mark, which represents compliance with European safety, health, and environmental standards; or the FCC mark, EAC mark, SAA mark, and RoHS mark, etc. These symbols not only serve as assurances of product quality but also indicate that the product has undergone rigorous testing and evaluation to be in line with specific legal and quality standards.
Secondly, you can use search engines like Google to look up product information. By examining details such as brand background, manufacturer, ingredient quantities, and user reviews, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the product’s performance and characteristics to assess the legitimacy of the product you chose.
Additionally, checking the pricing is one of the methods. Typically, black market electronic cigarettes are significantly cheaper than compliant products. This is because black market electronic cigarettes often evade taxation and have lower production costs. Therefore, be cautious if you encounter electronic cigarettes with unusually low prices, as they may be sourced from illegal channels.
To minimize the risk of purchasing black market electronic cigarettes, it is advisable to buy from reputable channels such as reputable electronic cigarette specialty stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, or officially authorized online retailers. This significantly reduces the risk of acquiring black market electronic cigarettes.
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Before making a purchase, you should also check the packaging and labels of the products. Legitimate electronic cigarette products typically have clear, complete packaging that includes key information such as product name, production date, brand, manufacturer information, batch number, etc. Additionally, the labels should clearly state product ingredients, warnings and instructions for use.If the product with rough packaging, and the obscured label,or the incomplete information, you should be careful.
Finally, if you still have doubts about electronic cigarette products, you’d better consult professionals. Doctors, pharmacists, or industry experts in the scope of electronic cigarette can provide you with professional advice and guidance to help you identify legitimate electronic cigarette products.
