Singaporeans agree with treating vaping as a drug issue, some say enforcement should start at border crossings

SINGAPORE: Many Singaporeans reacted favourably toward Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s announcement during his National Day Rally speech on August 17 to treat vaping as a “drug issue.” He also said that enforcement efforts would be enhanced.

While e-cigarettes are illegal in Singapore, the rising number of young people who use them has been a cause for concern.

PM Wong, who noted that people who vape have been fined, said in his speech that this is “no longer enough” and that “much stiffer” penalties will soon be meted out. Individuals who sell e-cigarettes containing harmful substances may even receive jail sentences and “more severe punishments.”

Individuals addicted to vaping, meanwhile, will be given supervision and rehabilitation in order to help them stop.

At the same time, a public education drive led by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health will be launched in schools and during National Service.

In May, 54 e-vaporiser pods and three e-vaporisers were found when the home of a 16-year-old was raided by officers from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). The boy, together with another 16-year-old male, was vaping in a private-hire car, and its driver reported them.

Alarmingly, some of the pods that HSA seized were found to contain etomidate, an anaesthetic which can cause addiction and physical dependence. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at the time that Singapore was working towards listing etomidate as an illegal drug.

“Vaping, especially those that are laced with etomidate, is increasing. It is causing quite serious concern amongst agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health,” he told reporters.

Netizens commenting on PM Wong’s announcement of Singapore’s tougher stance on vapes said they supported the move, with some suggesting that enforcement can begin at the city-state’s border crossings.

“More enforcement at the land border crossing. Saw many Malaysians vaping while riding their motorcycles. Revoke their work permits once caught,” wrote one Facebook user.

A commenter noted “unless our neighbour also bans vaping, … enforcement will be challenging because… travellers will not know the law here.”

A Reddit user, meanwhile, wrote, “Start by checking the Malaysian vehicles at customs. That’s where the supplies are.”

Another offered this insight: “We should maybe consider the UK model instead of doubling down on bans. When SG banned vapes in 2019, it just pushed everything underground and indirectly let KPods/etomidate grow. If we had regulated them, we’d actually have stats on usage and could tweak policies (tax, flavour limits, etc.) based on evidence. Right now, all we know is that ‘HSA caught X people.’ The rest is invisible.” /TISG

Read also: Man claims someone put a vape in his bag while he was traveling to SG from Japan