Thousands sick and several dead in the US. This is after they inhaled cannabis with the wrong kind of manufactured e-juice. Employees in Swedish vejpshoppar work daily to reassure worried customers who use regular e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
"Most of the customers are already informed and mostly come to me to check if what they have read is correct" says Sebastian Delin who work at Vapor Store in Karlskrona. "They know it's about illegal THC and not regular e-juice"
Growing in Sweden
In recent years, vaping as a method of quitting smoking has gained momentum in Sweden, and around 20 dedicated vejp shops have been established in several cities around the country. Most of them are in the big cities, but there are also shops in medium-sized towns that help smokers to quit using e-cigarettes.
Robin Karlsson is behind the counter at Vapor Store in Linköping.
"The shops are very important. In particular, I help a lot of older people quit smoking here. It's everything from finding the right nicotine strength to trying to get rid of nicotine altogether." says Robin.
And he is very critical of the way the news of the deaths and lung diseases are presented in the general media. As Vejpkollen previously reported few Swedish media have been clear about the likely cause of the deaths.
E-juice with cannabis and e-acetate
The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration)) announced early on that the common denominator among the sick people had been found to be improperly manufactured e-juice containing THC (cannabis)
The dangerous e-juice has been circulating on the black market, packaged in pre-filled tanks. The substance e-acetate (vitamin E), which is a common ingredient in skin creams, has been used to cheaply dilute THC juices to the appropriate costist. E-acetate forms an oil-like substance when heated. The substance sticks to the lungs and causes an acute chemical pneumonia. But vitamin E never used in regular e-juice production. And the vast majority of e-cigarette users who vejpake regular e-liquid with nicotine are not at risk (according to, among others, the Public Health Agency of Great Britain, PHE)
"Wanted to know if we use vitamin E"
Most of the shops contacted by Vejpkollen tell us that the knowledge of the the real cause to the lung damage still seems to reach customers. One way or another. Michael Karvonen runs VapeMore in Eskilstuna. And he notices that customers have often done their homework.
"Of course, people have raised the subject, mostly because someone else has told them how dangerous it is. What we have noticed is that instead of being worried, they come to us and ask. The customers who point this out are usually very source-critical from the start, so they already know the answer. The most notable was a lady who called and was very curious if we had vitamin E in our e-juices." says Michael Karvonen
He argues that the major forums for vejpare on Facebook means a lot to spread information. Since the outbreak became a major news story, several well-known scientists and authorities, such as UK health authorities, has spoken out in the largest international media about the likely causes of the lung damage. Their statement is now spreading on social media, including the Swedish forums.
Older customers hard to reach - start smoking again
But not everyone who uses e-cigarettes has access to the internet. Let alone forums on Facebook, points out Robin from VaporStore.
"How is Agda with COPD, who doesn't even have an internet connection, supposed to know this?" says them. "The majority of 'my' customers are older. These are people who definitely don't hang out on Facebook to inform themselves about what's going on. At worst, people will start smoking again and we know that smoking leads to early death. It's terrible."
Victor Bryn-Jensen who is the store manager at Cigge in Örebro, shares, to some extent Robin Karlsson's concerns.
"I don't think many vejp users will quit, but I think it does discourage people who wanted to quit cigarettes using e-cigs. It's the ones who haven't tried it that are most affected." says Victor Bryn-Jensen.
Notes: Robin Karlsson is a fictitious name, as the person has asked to remain anonymous.
The company Vapor Store is today (September 2022) closed, as are the stores in Linköping, Helsingborg, Landskrona and Karlskrona. Today, however, there are vejpshoppen uVape in Karlskrona.
