Key Takeaways
- Indonesia will step up vape surveillance over concerns about drug-laced e-cigarettes.
- BPOM will monitor nationwide vape distribution and work with BNN.
- BNN recently proposed a total ban on e-cigarettes to prevent liquid narcotics.
- BPOM chief Taruna Ikrar said bans should be based on scientific assessments.
- A 2021 Health Ministry and WHO survey showed 11.9% of Indonesian adult respondents had used a vape.
2Firsts,May 11， 2026
According to the report, Indonesia will step up its surveillance of vapes amid growing concerns over drug-laced e-cigarettes.
BPOM will monitor nationwide vape distribution
The National Food and Drug Monitoring Agency, or BPOM, will soon take charge of monitoring nationwide vape distribution. The agency said it will partner with the National Narcotics Agency, or BNN, after BNN uncovered the emergence of drug-laced liquid.
The report said Indonesia has waged a war against narcotics and rolled out a health-related omnibus law in 2023, followed by implementing regulation the next year.
BPOM said existing rules support technical regulation
BPOM chief Taruna Ikrar said over the weekend that, based on those regulations, BPOM can issue technical rules specifying what types of vapes are allowed and what types are prohibited. He said this gives the agency grounds for measures and sanctions.
BNN had proposed a total vape ban
BNN recently floated a plan to ban e-cigarettes entirely in Indonesia. A few days earlier, BNN head Suyudi Ario Seto told the press that the “only way to prevent liquid narcotics is to impose a total ban.”
Taruna suggested that Indonesia should proceed carefully before taking such a step. He said BPOM will decide which products to prohibit based on scientific assessments.
BPOM said restrictions should rely on scientific assessment
Taruna said scientific assessments will help regulators determine which products are truly dangerous and must be barred from the country.
He said regulators need to decide what kind of vape should be prohibited and what should not, adding that such restrictions cannot be imposed evenly.
BNN mainly found drug-laced liquid in illegal vapes
The report said BNN mainly found drug-laced liquid in illegal vapes, namely e-cigarettes without excise stamps.
Taruna agreed that illegal vapes must be strictly regulated but discouraged a total ban on all vapes.
Survey showed 11.9% of adult respondents had used vapes
A 2021 survey by Indonesia’s Health Ministry and the World Health Organization showed that 11.9% of Indonesian adult respondents had used a vape.
The survey also found that the highest percentage of daily e-cigarette smokers who had used them for more than two years was among adults aged 25 to 44, at 8.8%.
Image source: Jakarta Globe
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