"Nicopuff" Unapproved Vaping Goods Spreading among Japan Youth

Osaka, May 9 (Jiji Press)--Nicotine-vaping devices, collectively known as "nicopuff" in Japan, are gaining popularity among young people, although they are unapproved and their sales are prohibited in the country.

Nicopuff, which heats a nicotine-containing scented liquid to produce vapor, involves "the danger of serving as a gateway to illegal drugs," an expert warns.

"What's appealing is that it generates little smoke odor, and I can vape in my room," a 20-year-old part-timer said in the Minami downtown area of Osaka, western Japan, holding a grape-flavored nicopuff device in his hand.

He started using nicopuff after a friend gave a device to him about a year ago. "I like the refreshing taste," he said. "I didn't know that giving (nicopuff) to others is illegal."

"It costs less than heated cigarettes, and I was attracted to it because it's fashionable," a university student said. "Many people around me use nicopuff."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]