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2026年4月8日
CAPHRA Calls for Proportionate Regulations to Combat Dangerous “Zombie Vapes” and Protect Consumers Across Asia Pacific
In response to a recent Bangkok Post article highlighting the dangers of “zombie vapes,” the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns that the absence of clear, prop
In response to a recent Bangkok Post article highlighting the dangers of “zombie vapes,” the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns that the absence of clear, proportionate, and enforceable regulations is creating illicit markets that undermine public safety, encourage criminal enterprise, and expose consumers to heightened health risks.
针对《曼谷邮报》最近一篇强调“僵尸电子烟”危害的文章， 亚太烟草减害倡导者联盟 （CAPHRA）警告说，缺乏明确、适度和可执行的法规正在催生非法市场，破坏公共安全，助长犯罪活动，并使消费者面临更高的健康风险。
These hazardous products, which contain the powerful anaesthetic etomidate—a scheduled drug typically used in hospital settings—have been circulating in the Asia Pacific region since 2023. First recorded in Hong Kong, they have now spread to Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and parts of Oceania.
这些危险产品含有强效麻醉剂依托咪酯（一种通常在医院使用的管制药物），自 2023 年以来一直在亚太地区流通。这些产品最初在香港被发现，现在已蔓延到泰国、台湾、新加坡、马来西亚和大洋洲部分地区。
With the exception of New Zealand, these are largely unregulated environments, fostering significant blind spots where banned or unmonitored products circulate without oversight. This regulatory vacuum invites unscrupulous actors to exploit consumer demand, flooding markets with untested and often dangerous items that pose serious health threats.
除新西兰外，这些地区大多缺乏监管，导致监管存在严重漏洞，一些被禁或未经监管的产品得以在无人监管的情况下流通。这种监管真空为不法分子提供了可乘之机，他们利用消费者需求，将未经检验且往往危险的产品充斥市场，对消费者健康构成严重威胁。
“Consumers seeking safer or more affordable alternatives are pushed into underground markets, where there are no standards, no recourse, and no accountability,” said Asa Saligupta from ECST Thailand.
“寻求更安全或更实惠替代品的消费者被迫进入地下市场，那里没有标准，没有追索权，也没有问责制，”ECST 泰国的 Asa Saligupta 说道。
“This not only weakens public trust in government institutions but also diverts resources away from evidence-based harm reduction and health promotion strategies.”“这不仅削弱了公众对政府机构的信任，而且还将资源从基于证据的减少危害和健康促进策略中转移出去。”
CAPHRA emphasises that rejecting harm reduction approaches exacerbates these issues, allowing illicit markets to flourish and placing public health at greater risk.
CAPHRA 强调，拒绝减少危害的方法会加剧这些问题，使非法市场蓬勃发展，并使公众健康面临更大的风险。
“To protect public health, reduce criminal activity, and ensure consumer safety, governments must adopt proportionate, risk-based regulations that reflect current evidence,” Saligupta added.
萨利古普塔补充说：“为了保护公众健康、减少犯罪活动和确保消费者安全，各国政府必须采取与当前证据相符的、基于风险的法规。”
“Regulatory clarity empowers consumers, incentivises compliance, and creates the conditions for legal markets to outcompete illicit ones.”“监管的明确性能够赋予消费者更多权力，激励消费者遵守法规，并为合法市场战胜非法市场创造条件。”
Without such measures, the problem persists and worsens. “Without effective regulation, we do not eliminate risk; we merely abdicate responsibility and leave the public exposed to greater harm,” Saligupta concluded.
如果没有这些措施，问题就会持续存在并恶化。“没有有效的监管，我们无法消除风险；我们只是放弃了责任，让公众面临更大的伤害，”萨利古普塔总结道。
CAPHRA urges governments across the Asia Pacific to implement evidence-based regulations that prioritise consumer safety and harm reduction, ensuring legal alternatives displace dangerous illicit products.
CAPHRA 敦促亚太地区各国政府实施以证据为基础的法规，优先考虑消费者安全和减少危害，确保合法替代品取代危险的非法产品。