Be wary of this chewing gum similar product has appeared on campus
The evaluation shows that these products may be e-cigarettes, Shenzhen Tobacco Bureau said it will investigate and verify
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 in one puff, has a "cute" appearance, and is packaged like a snack, which makes people worry that it is a "children's e-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.
In addition to "milk tea cups", disposable atomizers such as "Coke Cups", "Da Huancai" and "flavoring sticks" have also appeared on the market. Through these products, tobacco-flavored pods can be changed into other flavors.
The reporter learned that at present, this kind of disposable atomizer products have also derived shapes such as Doraemon, Pixel Tiger, and Bear. Some product advertisements or packaging are clearly marked with "nicotine"; Cup" has appeared in the hands of students.
The evaluation platform found that:
"Gas chewing gum" is actually an "electronic cigarette"
In the video released by "Dad Review", this "gas chewing gum" is the size of a lighter, and the outer shell is packaged like chewing gum.
Mr. Ni, a technical engineer of "Daddy Evaluation", disassembled one and found that there were batteries, atomizers and some kind of "unidentified liquid with pungent fragrance" inside, and the structure was similar to that of electronic cigarettes.
Mr. Ni told reporters that in June this year, they received news from fans that there was such a product, each priced at more than 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".
The product was sent to a cooperative laboratory, and the aerosol of "gas chewing gum" was analyzed for all unknown components by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and many of the components were found to be similar to those of electronic cigarettes.
They believe that this product is essentially an "e-cigarette".
After the review video was released, many fans left messages saying that they noticed minors around them using "gas chewing gum".
Today, the store they investigated has removed the product.
On November 21, the customer service of Beijing Chewei Technology Co., Ltd., which belongs to the "Hey Pao" brand, told reporters that the product is a "nicotine-free gas chewing gum" and is mainly used to freshen breath.
This product 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.
The rise of "milk tea cup":
Reporter claims that students do not need ID cards to buy through WeChat
According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, 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", "Dahuancai" and "flavoring sticks" have also appeared on the market. Consumers can use these products to change tobacco-flavored pods into other flavors.
The 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 advertised or packaged as "contains nicotine".
Mr. Ren, a high school teacher, told reporters that "milk tea cups" have appeared among students.
In the past year, five students in the school were found to possess e-cigarettes, including a girl.
He saw two "milk tea cups" among the students with his own eyes, once under the student's pillow, and once saw the teacher of another class confiscating it from a student.
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.
The reporter noticed that on Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and other platforms, there are many sales posts of "milk tea cups", and the words "prohibition for minors to purchase and use" are printed on the advertisements or packaging of some products .
The reporter found a "milk tea cup" priced at 69.9 yuan on Xiaohongshu, and consulted the seller as a customer.
According to the seller, the product has a large capacity and can be used for a long time.
Immediately, a picture was sent, asking "what flavor do you want?" When the reporter said that he is a student, can it be cheaper, the seller said "then you can't buy it from the platform", and asked the reporter to add his WeChat before buying.
After the reporter added the seller’s WeChat account, when he asked if he needed to show his ID card, the seller said, “No, my sister smokes.” Finally, the seller said that it can be sold at a minimum of 56 yuan, and “you can earn 23 yuan if you sell one at the original price.”
Later, the reporter purchased an electronic cigarette with the appearance of a "machine cat" through another agent.
During the purchase process, the other party also stated that there is no need to show their ID card.
After receiving the "Doraemon", the reporter found that "this product contains the addictive chemical ingredient nicotine" and "prohibited to sell to minors" are written on its packaging box. The production address is in Shenzhen, but all the contents are written in English.
Open the box, there is no other logo on the "Doraemon" except for the brand name and taste.
Pi Yijun, director of the Juvenile Crime Teaching and Research Office, told reporters that making e-cigarettes into cartoon shapes and fruit flavors obviously has the intention of targeting minors as the target audience.
Moreover, such products do not need to be ignited, and can be smoked anytime, anywhere, which is very attractive to teenagers.
Staff of Shenzhen Tobacco Bureau:
Will investigate and verify, and if the circumstances are serious, it will be handed over to the public security department for handling
Released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Management Committee, the national standard of "Electronic Cigarettes" (GB 41700-2022) implemented on October 1 this year stipulates that the vapors of electronic cigarettes "should not be inductive to minors, The characteristic flavor of the product should not present flavors other than 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.”
In 2021, the survey conclusion of the "Research Report on E-cigarette Marketing and its Impact on Youth Health" released by the Tobacco Control Research Center of the Institute of Health Communication of Fudan University shows that the most attractive flavor of e-cigarettes to teenagers is fruit flavor, followed by food and beverage flavors.
The staff of Shenzhen Osenweipu Technology Co., Ltd., the company to which "WDG" and "Milk Tea Cup" belong, told reporters that according to national standards, the company's fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes have all been discontinued.
At present, the company has officially identified four counterfeit imitation manufacturers, with an output of 5,000 to 10,000 pieces 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.
Then the reporter 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.
The company will never allow it to be sold in the country. Once it is found that it is sold in the country, consumers can report it to the platform and the regulatory authorities.
The staff of the Shenzhen Tobacco Bureau told reporters 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 suspected of criminal offenses, they will be handed over to the public security department for handling.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News reporter Wang Yucheng Lan Jing intern Wu Yiyang