Cannabis vapes disguised as pens, lip balm, even airpod cases

They can take the form of a pen that actually works, a lip gloss, a car key or an airpod case.

They’re called penjamins — deliberately disguised to look like everyday objects, allowing the user to vape cannabis discreetly.

Social media, in particular TikTok, has thousands of posts about penjamins being used covertly in schools, at work and even at airports.

Paul Dillon, Director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, said penajmins were in the top five topics young people wanted to discuss when he visited schools across Australia.

“So certainly there is an awareness about them if not significant use,” Mr Dillon said.

Here is an example of the types of questions students are asking Mr Dillon:

“What’s the deal with these weed vapes? If they got caught with one, would they get into trouble?”

One student said their friends had told them “it’s safer than smoking it” and they had “bought a penjamin after seeing different ones on TikTok”.

Mr Dillon said other students had shared bad experiences they’ve had with penjamins.

“He has really not recovered from that, he’s now seeing a psychologist on a regular basis trying to deal with that experience he had.”

Are cannabis vapes harmful?

Mr Dillon is keen to point out that most people who use cannabis will not have a problem, but “when they do have a problem, it’s often a significant problem and can be a life-changing problem”.

Penjamins can contain high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, which can increase the risks of a range of adverse effects.

Manufacturers of nicotine and weed vapes have been known to use a range of chemicals in their products, including preservatives, thickeners and flavours.

Dr Heser Wilson from the Royal Australian College of GPs has concerns about penjamins.

“The quality of the liquid used and adulterants would be unknown … there is a potential risk of inflammatory issues in the lungs,” Dr Wilson said.

Dr Sukhwinder Sohal is the past president of the Tasmanian branch of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ).

He said data on the long-term health effects of cannabis vaping was still emerging.

“It is reported in a population-based study that wheezing or whistling in the chest is roughly two times higher among those who had used cannabis in electronic nicotine delivery system,” Dr Sohal said.

From late 2019 to early 2020, there were over 2,500 cases of e-cigarette or vaping-produced use-associated lung injury (EVALI), with 55 deaths reported.

Dr Sohal said while monitoring of the condition ceased in 2020 after a decline in cases, it’s still an ongoing issue.

“Throughout this period in the United States, 2,807 individuals were hospitalised with EVALI and 68 individuals died as a result, which showed that EVALI continued but was not followed or reported,” he said.

Cannabis vapes have become increasingly popular in Canada and parts of the US where the drug is legal.

Detecting disguised vapes

From January to December 2024, the Australian Border Force (ABF) stopped over 6.3 million vaping products from entering Australia.

A spokesperson for the ABF said the organisation was aware of evolving criminal import methodologies “such as disguising illicit vaping goods as other items and remains agile in adapting its border targeting capabilities to detect these changing criminal behaviours”.

The ABF is working alongside the Department of Health and other agencies to enable this integrated approach to detecting, seizing and destroying vape products.

Advice to parents and teachers

Teachers are concerned that all forms of vaping are having a disruptive impact on the education of Australian students.

“Vaping is an immense challenge facing Australian schools,” Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe said.

“The growing vaping crisis is placing additional strain on teachers, who are already experiencing unstable workloads, to control the use use of vaping in schools.”

The Australian government has banned the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies and will roll out a program in schools this year designed to teach students the health risks of vaping.

Mr Dillon said due to the discreet nature of the penjamin, most parents wouldn’t “have a clue” if their kids are using them.

Dr Wilson said vape users should talk to their GPs for help around quitting.