Nearly 24 percent of tested vape liquids contain narcotics, BNN says

Jakarta, Thekabarnews.com—The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has made an official request to the government to ban all electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, in the whole country. This is because there is more and more proof that people are using them to smoke drugs.

BNN’s Narcotics Laboratory Center head, Brigjen Supiyanto, says that the recommendation comes from serious public health concerns. He said that the police have a harder time finding people who are illegally using and selling drugs. His explanation is because vape devices are so small and easy to hide.

“To protect public health from drug abuse, we recommend banning the use of electronic cigarettes or vapes in Indonesia,” Supiyanto said at the BNN headquarters in Cawang, East Jakarta, on Wednesday, February 18.

Supiyanto says that more and more people who use drugs are using vape pens to hide their use. At first, it looks like someone is just smoking or using a vape. He said that the liquid could have crystal meth, etomidate, or other drugs in it.

Some of BNN’s lab tests from 2025 to early 2026 showed results that were very concerning. Out of the 438 vape liquids that were on the market, 105, or 23.97 percent, had drugs from Class I and Class II in them.

Officials took samples from many places, including North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, the Bangka Belitung Islands, Jakarta, and North Maluku. Additionally, BNN found 134 vape liquid samples with drugs at levels as high as 100 percent in a number of specific case investigations.

BNN also said that medical research has already found health risks linked to vaping, even when it doesn’t have drugs in it. The agency said that drug users are moving away from traditional tools like bongs and toward electronic devices. These devices are easier to hide and share.

Officials say that a full ban could help stop the trend before it gets worse. The proposal will probably make policymakers, health experts, and people in the industry talk about it more.

BNN reiterated its commitment to enhancing public health and drug abuse prevention programs nationwide.