Thousands sick and several dead in the US. This is after they inhaled cannabis with the wrong manufactured e-juice. Employees in Swedish vejpshoppar work daily to reassure anxious 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 read is correct" says Sebastian Delin who work at Vapor Store in Karlskrona. "They know that it is about illegal THC and not regular e-juice"
Growing in Sweden
Vaping, as a method of quitting smoking, has been gaining momentum in Sweden for a few years, and some 20 dedicated vejpshoppes have been established in several cities around the country. Most are in the big cities, but even in medium-sized towns there are now shops that help smokers to quit using e-cigarettes.
Robin Mr. Karlsson is behind the counter at Vapor Store in Linköping.
"The shops are very important. In particular, I help many 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 the lung diseases are portrayed 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 turned out to be improperly made e-juice with THC (cannabis)
The dangerous e-juice has been circulating on the black market, packaged in pre-filled tanks. The substance e-acetate (vitamin E), a common ingredient in skin creams, has been used to cheaply dilute THC juices to a suitable consistency. E-acetate forms an oil-like substance when heated. This substance gets stuck in 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 thus not at risk (according to, among others, the Department of Health in the United Kingdom, PHE)
"Wanted to know if we use vitamin E"
Most of the shops Vejpkollen contacts say that knowledge of 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 brought it up, mostly because someone else told them how dangerous it is. What we've noticed is that instead of being worried, they come to us and ask. The customers who point this out are usually very critical of the source from the start, so they already know the answer. The most remarkable thing was a lady who called and was very curious if we had vitamin E in our e-juices." says Michael Karvonen
He believes that the major forums for vejpare on Facebook means a lot in spreading information. Since the outbreak became big news, 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 in the Swedish forums.
Older customers hard to reach - start smoking again
But not everyone who uses e-cigarettes has access to the internet. And even less forums on Facebook, points out Robin from VaporStore.
"How is Agda with COPD, who doesn't even have internet access, supposed to know this?" says them. "The majority of "my" customers are older. They are people who definitely don't hang out on Facebook to inform themselves about what's going on. In the worst case scenario, people will start smoking again and we know that smoking leads to an early death. It's horrible."
Victor Bryn-Jensen who is the store manager at Cigge in Örebro, shares, to some extent Robin Karlsson concerns.
"I don't think many vejp users will quit, but I do think it discourages people who wanted to quit cigarettes using e-cigs. It's those who haven't tried it who are most affected." says Victor Bryn-Jensen.
Notes: Robin Karlsson is a fictitious name, as the person requested 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 is vejpshoppen uVape in Karlskrona.
