Unsafe Vapes Aren’t a Vaping Problem, They’re a Criminalization Problem

Authorities worldwide are warning of the increasing circulation of illicit vaping products containing cannabis, synthetic opioids, and other dangerous adulterants. Recent cases in the United Kingdom and seizure data from Belgium highlight a growing problem that extends beyond concerns about vaping itself, suggesting that prohibition and restrictive bans are driving products underground and creating significant health risks.

The Real Story Behind Dangerous Vapes

In Bradford, UK, police and Trading Standards officers have reported a surge in illegal cannabis-infused vape products, often sold alongside illicit tobacco. Recent raids on off-licences resulted in the seizure of suspected THC vapes and ultimately led to the revocation of one retailer’s alcohol licence.

These products are illegal for recreational use in the UK, yet demand persists, with legal supply chains being the primary casualty. When markets are pushed into unregulated spaces, criminal actors fill the void, increasing consumer risk rather than providing protection.

Health officials are particularly concerned about youth access to these products. Liquid THC vapes are discreet, often odourless, and easily concealed. Emergency services have been called to schools after students used these vapes during breaks, with some cases requiring hospital treatment. Some seized products have reportedly contained traces of synthetic cannabinoids such as Spice, dramatically increasing the risk.

Drug support organisations warn that vaping cannabis can lead users, especially inexperienced adolescents, to underestimate dosage. Unlike smoking, vaping allows for rapid and repeated consumption, increasing the risk of adverse reactions. These harms are not inherent to regulated nicotine vaping products used by adults for smoking cessation, but rather the result of unregulated substances sold illegally.

A Worst Case Scenario

Belgium offers a starker example of the dangers of flourishing illicit markets. According to the country’s drug commissioner, Ine Van Wymersch, more than 80 percent of illegal refillable vape pods seized by authorities now contain synthetic opioids. These substances are undetectable by smell or appearance, creating a dangerous scenario where teenagers may unknowingly inhale highly addictive and dangerous drugs.

These are not products purchased from licensed vape shops adhering to product standards, but illegal capsules circulating due to a lack of regulated pathways for safer alternatives or because existing restrictions have made compliant businesses unviable.

Real-World Evidence

Independent studies and investigations consistently show that the most serious vaping-related harms are associated with illicit or adulterated products. The 2019 EVALI outbreak in the United States, for example, was linked to vitamin E acetate in illegal THC cartridges, not regulated nicotine e-liquids. Public health agencies, including the CDC, later acknowledged that nicotine vaping products sold legally were not the cause.

Research published in journals such as Addiction and Drug and Alcohol Dependence has highlighted how prohibition increases the likelihood of contamination, variable potency, and consumer misinformation. Clandestinely produced products lack incentives for quality control, accurate labelling, or age verification.

How Sweeping Bans Feed the Problem

Some policymakers have responded to these dangers by doubling down on bans, particularly flavour bans, creating a vicious cycle. Belgium’s health minister is pushing for one of Europe’s toughest prohibitions on flavoured vapes, arguing that fruit and candy profiles attract youth and are exploited by criminal groups, but this approach is expected to exacerbate the problem.

Removing flavours from the legal market does not eliminate demand; it simply shifts it to illegal suppliers, the same networks now selling opioid-laced pods. Flavours are also a key reason adult smokers successfully switch to safer alternatives.

Multiple surveys, including those by Public Health England (now the UK Health Security Agency) and the Cochrane Collaboration, have found that flavoured vapes significantly improve smoking cessation outcomes for adults. Ignoring this evidence risks sacrificing public health gains while empowering organised crime.

Why Products Become Unsafe and How to Fix It

Prohibition and excessive regulation can eliminate legal supply chains, creating gaps in the market that are quickly filled by illicit operators. Unsafe vaping products tend to emerge when prohibition and excessive regulation eliminate legal supply chains, the absence of clear and enforceable product standards allows unsafe products to reach consumers, criminal incentives prioritize profit over consumer safety, and poor consumer education leaves users unable to distinguish between regulated and illicit products.

The solutions, according to harm reduction advocates, involve proportionate regulation that allows legal, affordable, and appealing alternatives to smoking. This includes enforcing manufacturing standards, requiring independent lab testing, mandating clear labelling, and licensing retailers with strict age verification.

Equally important is targeted enforcement against dangerous products, such as those containing THC, synthetic cannabinoids, or opioids, rather than blanket crackdowns on nicotine vaping. Education campaigns should clearly distinguish between regulated harm reduction products and illicit drugs masquerading as vapes.

Sensible Regulations Not Prohibition

The situations in Bradford and Belgium are not arguments against vaping, but warnings about what happens when policy ignores harm reduction principles. By pushing products underground, bans create the very dangers they claim to prevent. A regulated market, informed consumers, and evidence-based policy remain the most effective tools to protect young people while helping adult smokers move away from combustible tobacco. Safety comes from regulation, not prohibition.