Recently, the popular science evaluation self-media "Dad Evaluation" released a video "Beware of Children's Electronic Cigarettes", which has attracted widespread attention.
The video exposed a product called "gas chewing gum" but very similar to electronic cigarettes.
The product can spit out smoke with one puff. The appearance of the product is "cute", and the packaging is like a snack. It is worrying that this is a "children's electronic cigarette" that has a strong appeal to minors.
Similar to "gas chewing gum", a wide variety of "milk tea cups" has also quietly emerged.
According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, the "milk tea cup" is a disposable electronic cigarette product that can be sold in many convenience stores in the downtown area.
In addition to "milk tea cups", disposable atomizers such as "Coke cups", "Da Huancai" and "flavoring sticks" have also appeared on the market. Consumers can use these products to change tobacco-flavored pods into other flavors.
The evaluation platform exposes "gas chewing gum"
The production company said it had been taken off the shelves in September, and minors were prohibited from using it
In the video released by "Dad Review", this "gas chewing gum" product is the size of a lighter, and the casing is packaged like chewing gum. The slogan says "just suck and play".
Mr. Ni, a technical engineer of "Dad Evaluation", disassembled a piece of "gas chewing gum" and found that there were batteries, atomizers and some "unidentified liquid with pungent fragrance" in it, and the structure was similar to that of electronic cigarettes.
Mr. Ni told the Red Star News reporter that in June this year, they received news from fans that there was such a product, each priced at about 40 yuan, so they bought a batch of "Hey bubble gas chewing gum" from the Internet for research.
He doesn't usually have the habit of smoking. He turned on the product and took a sip, feeling "a little flushed, a little dizzy".
In order to confirm whether it has the same or similar ingredients as e-cigarettes, Mr. Ni sent the product to a cooperative laboratory, and used gas chromatography mass spectrometry to analyze the unknown components of the "gas chewing gum" aerosol, and found that many of the ingredients were related to e-cigarettes. Similar to smoke.
They believe that this product is essentially an "e-cigarette".
Mr. Ni said that in the comment area of the e-commerce platform for this "gas chewing gum", there were messages from users suspected of being underage.
After the review video was released, they found that many fans left messages saying that they noticed that there were minors around them using "gas chewing gum".
Today, the store they investigated has removed the product.
The Red Star News reporter saw that in March this year, the producer of "Hey Pao Gas Chewing Gum" issued an advertisement saying that this is an atomizer with "'0' nicotine brand, gas chewing gum category, and tooth health functions. Rose lychee, lemon passion fruit, mint, jasmine white peach, watermelon and other 6 flavors" are "a refreshing artifact developed for car owners".
The slogan of the product is: "Just suck and play! Fresh breath, healthy and refreshing."
In the brand's WeChat mall store, the purchase page of "Hey Pao Gas Chewing Gum" shows that the product has been removed from the shelves.
In the existing store pages and product promotion pages, there is no word "prohibited to be used by minors".
On November 21, the customer service of Beijing Chewei Technology Co., Ltd., which belongs to the "Hey Pao" brand, told the Red Star News reporter that the product is a "nicotine-free gas chewing gum" and is mainly used to freshen breath.
This "gas chewing gum" has been off the shelves around September, and there is no channel to buy it, and it cannot be purchased.
Before being removed from the shelves, this product needs to be purchased with a real-name system on the mall, and minors are prohibited from using it.
According to Tianyan Check, Beijing Chewei Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2018 with a registered capital of 15 million yuan. Its business scope includes "technology development, stationery, auto parts, toys, and food sales."
The company's business scope in 2021 also includes "retail tobacco".
At present, Taobao, Pinduoduo, and Xianyu platforms cannot search for similar products through the keywords of "gas chewing gum", "atomized chewing gum" and "steam chewing gum".
The rise of "milk tea cups" with cute shapes
Reporter claims that students do not need ID cards to buy through WeChat
According to the Southern Metropolis Daily report, on November 16, the Nandu Electronic Cigarette Industry Observation Research Group visited and found that a disposable electronic cigarette product called "milk tea cup" was sold in many convenience stores in the downtown area.
In addition to "milk tea cups", disposable atomizers such as "Coke cups", "Da Huancai" and "flavoring sticks" have also appeared on the market. Consumers can use these products to change tobacco-flavored pods into other flavors.
The Red Star News reporter learned that the "milk tea cup" is about 10 centimeters long and has a straw on the top.
In addition, the disposable atomizer products have also derived shapes such as Doraemon, pixel tiger, and bear.
Some products are clearly marked "contains nicotine" on the advertisement or packaging.
Mr. Ren (pseudonym), a high school teacher, told the Red Star News reporter that he found that "milk tea cups" had appeared in the hands of students.
In the past year, among the approximately 2,600 students in the school, 5 students were found to possess e-cigarettes, including a girl.
Sometimes, Mr. Ren could smell the faint fruity vaping smell of some students, but didn't know where they were hiding the cigarettes.
Mr. Ren saw two "milk tea cups" from the hands of students with his own eyes. One was found under the pillow in the student dormitory, and the other was confiscated from a student by teachers of other classes.
When asked the reasons for smoking fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, the students gave answers such as "novelty", "good smell", "handsome", etc. Most of the purchase channels are online.
Sales of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes banned in China
The manufacturer claims that the "milk tea cup" has been discontinued or re-exported, and counterfeit products are frequently appearing
Released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Management Committee, the national standard "Electronic Cigarettes" (GB 41700-2022), which will be implemented on October 1 this year, stipulates that electronic cigarettes are "used to generate aerosols for people to smoke, etc. Electronic delivery system", the atomization of electronic cigarettes "should not induce minors, and should not make the characteristic flavor of the product present other flavors except tobacco".
The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued the "Relevant Questions and Answers on the Measures for the Administration of Electronic Cigarettes and the National Standards on Electronic Cigarettes" mentioned, "In view of the fact that flavored electronic cigarettes such as fruits, food, beverages and nicotine-free electronic cigarettes are harmful to minors It has a strong appeal and is easy to induce minors to smoke. The standard clearly stipulates that the characteristic flavor of the product should not show other flavors except tobacco, and it is clearly required that 'vaping products should contain nicotine', that is, electronic cigarettes that do not contain nicotine. Tobacco products are not allowed to enter the market for sale.”
The Red Star News reporter found that Shenzhen Orsonweipu Technology Co., Ltd., which belongs to the brand "WDG", issued an announcement on its WeChat public account on August 11 this year, announcing that the company had stopped producing all its fruit flavors and fruit flavors from August 1. Other non-national standard products.
From August to November, the company issued "anti-counterfeiting statements" several times, saying that the "WDG milk tea cups" circulating in the market were counterfeit and shoddy products, and the company did not resume production or shipment.
On November 22, the staff of Orsonvap told the Red Star News reporter that according to national standards, the company’s fruit-flavored e-cigarettes have all been discontinued.
At present, the company has officially identified four counterfeit imitation manufacturers, with an output of about 5,000 to 10,000 per day.
For imitation products, they are very helpless, and it is difficult to grasp the sales channels and customers of imitation products.
Previously, the company's products were sold in offline physical stores, and sales to minors were prohibited.
A reporter from Red Star News called a "milk tea cup" manufacturer in Beijing as a franchisee.
The other party stated that the fruit-flavored "milk tea cup" displayed on the company's website can only be sold abroad, and to apply for a foreign distributor needs to obtain complete customs declaration and customs clearance procedures.
Why are there similar products on domestic platforms?
The other party said that the company will never allow sales in the country, and consumers can directly report to the platform and the regulatory authorities.
Tobacco Bureau staff said they would investigate and verify
The staff of the Shenzhen Tobacco Bureau told the Red Star News reporter that domestic manufacturers must have production qualifications to produce e-cigarettes, and fruit-flavored e-cigarettes can only be sold abroad. It is illegal to sell fruit-flavored e-cigarettes to the domestic market.
Regarding the situation reported by the reporter, the staff of the Tobacco Bureau said that investigation and verification work will be carried out. According to factors such as whether they have production qualifications and the number of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes sold to the domestic market, manufacturers and agents may be subject to administrative penalties such as fines.
If the circumstances are serious, or if a criminal offense is suspected, it will be handed over to the public security department for handling.
(Red Star News reporter Wang Yucheng Lan Jing intern Wu Yiyang)
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