Vaping Products Being Supplied By Bootleggers in Oman

Something that we as a human race are having a very hard time wrapping our heads around, is that people are going to do what people are going to do. Governments have consistently failed at trying to control what we eat, what we watch, what we think, how we live and how we grow. Most people do what they're told to do, follow the rules to steer clear of any sort of negative repercussions. But when the rules themselves are broken, people create their own solutions.

Oman is an Arab country positioned at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. In December 2015 the Oman government placed a ban on vaping and all e-cigarette products. Recently bootleg suppliers have smuggled in vaping products from abroad and now the ecig business is back and booming in the black market. Anyone caught bringing vapor products or selling them in Oman is subject to a fine of up to OMR500 (about $1300 USD). But that's a small price to pay for black market margins.

The Rules Are Broken

In Oman it is not illegal to own or use a personal vaporizer. How you obtain said vaporizer is entirely up to you. You won't be able to legally purchase one any time soon and bootleggers know that so they're taking full advantage. Sneaking them through customs when returning from countries where vaping is legal. Authorities are also having a hard time controlling internet sales.

What's The Fix?

It doesn't take long for bootleggers to create a black market for any product, especially when the product is in such high demand. Rather than embracing technology and innovation, governments everywhere are shutting down innovation and hemorrhaging countless resources on trying to "fix" the problem. We all know now that the war on drugs has been one of the biggest failures in human history. It would be smart to re-focus our efforts on things that actually matter like mental health or climate change. We as a human race need to learn from our mistakes instead of continuing to patch and bandage ourselves up otherwise, history is bound to repeat itself.

   

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