KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new alcohol-inhaling device called, VAPORTINI, is raising concern among some parents, doctors and police around the country. Here in the metro, a lot of people are weighing in on the new product that’s been available to consumers online for the past month.
It looks like a typical glass bong. Users first light a small candle at the base of the Vaportini, then pour alcohol into a globe at the top. Within minutes, the globe fills with alcohol vapors — inhaled into their mouth with a glass straw.
“It cannot be good for the lungs because it’s going to be absorbed into the blood system faster, ” said Dr. Tama Sawyer, the Managing Director of the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Dr. Sawyer adds Vaportini inhalers will become intoxicated a lot faster — and get an instant high — which could put users at even a greater risk.
“With every alcohol ingestion, there’s always the worry of drunk driving, drunk walking, drunk bicycling whatever because you get injured when all of your facilities aren’t working 100 percent,” Sawyer said.
VAPORTINI sells for $35 online. While its disclaimer says you must be at least 18 years old to buy it, some parents, doctors and police nationwide worry teenagers will find a way to get their hands on it.
“This is really easy for kids to steal their parents’ credit card and just buy it online, so they have to take it off the internet, ” said Sami Mahmoud, the owner of Hookah Cafe and Lounge in Westport.