Vaping is Trending in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian Citizens are joining the trend of vaping leaving behind smoking and the laws for activity in Saudi are shrouded in a fruit scented mist.

Vapers are available in Saudi Arabian market and there is no explicit law banning vaping in the kingdom, but its difficult to find any vaping juice or any vaping equipments in the market.

However, Ministry of Commerce in Saudi Arabia have officially banned all items related to vaping & e-cigarette in the year 2015 itself.

Saudi law forbids the sale of such items and considers anyone bringing them in from abroad to be smuggling and, therefore, liable to be fined and have the items confiscated.

The sales ban has forced vapers in the Kingdom to seek alternative methods of buying supplies, although the legality of these are doubtful, leaving vapers unsure if they are breaking the law.

The legal grey area means that people who spoke to Arab News for this article requested anonymity and their names have been changed.

Saudi Arabia has a high smoking rate, even though the practice is considered taboo. The Saudi Diabetes and Endocrine Association estimates the number of smokers is almost 6 million. This is expected to rise to 10 million by 2020, or roughly 30 percent of the population.

Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes? The healthiest way to smoke is to not smoke at all, but vaping is often presented as an alternative to the traditional cigarette.

Vapes can still deliver a dose of nicotine to the body without the toxins and smoke damage. Nevertheless, vape products on the market come with a warning that is all but identical to those on cigarette packs: Adults only, no health benefits and a significant risk to health.

But vaping is shown to be less damaging overall than cigarettes, according to a long-term study published in the US medical journal “Annals of Internal Medicine.”