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Tag: SIngapore

  • Singapore Tightens Border, Seizes 850 Vapes in 5 Days

    Singapore Tightens Border, Seizes 850 Vapes in 5 Days

    Last week, Singapore announced its crackdown on smuggling and that it would treat vape crimes as drug offenses beginning on August 18. In the first five days of that initiative, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority seized over 850 e-cigarettes and related products in 184 cases.

    Enhanced checks now cover air, land, and sea entry points, including Changi Airport, the Singapore Cruise Centre, and Harbourfront Ferry Terminal. At Changi, banners warn travelers “Vaping is banned,” with red bins provided for disposal. Passengers who voluntarily declare vapes face no penalties, but those caught concealing them risk fines or prosecution.

    Under Singapore law, the purchase, possession, and use of vapes are strictly prohibited. Offenders face fines up to S$2,000 ($1,480), while those caught importing, distributing, or selling risk up to S$10,000 ($7,400) fines, six months in jail, or both. Repeat offenders can face penalties that are doubled.

  • Singapore to Treat Vaping as a Drug Offence, CAPHRA Objects

    Singapore to Treat Vaping as a Drug Offence, CAPHRA Objects

    Singapore will impose tougher nationwide enforcement against vaping, treating it as a drug issue with severe penalties with offenders facing possible jail sentences, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during his National Day Rally on Aug 17. Wong said the government is acting due to rising cases of e-vaporizers laced with harmful substances, particularly etomidate, which has been linked to seizures and erratic behavior.

    Authorities reported a sharp rise in seizures, with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) confiscating S$41 million ($32 million) worth of e-vaporizers between January 2024 and March 2025, compared to just S$95,460 ($74,500) in 2019. This includes 28 cases of etomidate-laced pods in the first half of 2025, nearly triple the number detected in 2024.

    Under the planned changes, etomidate will be listed as a Class C controlled drug, subjecting users to mandatory rehabilitation programs and repeat offenders to jail terms. Sellers and importers face penalties of up to 20 years in prison and caning.

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) criticized Singapore’s decision to treat vaping as a drug offence, warning that harsher penalties and jail terms risk undermining global evidence on tobacco harm reduction.

    CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas said the policy conflates contaminated black-market products with legitimate nicotine devices. “This is like banning all alcohol because some criminals sell methanol-laced spirits,” she argued, adding that prohibition will only fuel underground markets while denying smokers access to safer alternatives.

    Singapore banned e-cigarettes in 2018, yet smoking rates have remained stagnant at 10–16% for over a decade despite strict tobacco control. CAPHRA said countries regulating safer nicotine products, including the UK, Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand, are seeing steep declines in smoking-related deaths, urging Singapore to embrace regulation over prohibition.

  • Singapore May Strengthen Laws as Drug-Laced Vapes Surge

    Singapore May Strengthen Laws as Drug-Laced Vapes Surge

    The Singapore government is considering tightening vaping laws in response to a sharp rise in cases of e-vaporizers containing controlled substances like etomidate, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Home Affairs said. In the first half of 2025, 28 cases of e-vape pods containing etomidate — nearly three times the number found in all of 2024 — were detected, raising concerns about public health and drug misuse.

    Etomidate, a regulated anesthetic, has been found illegally in vape products designed for inhalation. The ministries warned of serious side effects, including muscle spasms, seizures, confusion, and potential physical dependence.

    Vaping has been banned in Singapore since 2018, with penalties of up to S$2,000 ($1,560) for use or possession, and up to S$10,000 ($7,800) or six months in jail for sellers and importers. Authorities are now reviewing whether existing legislation provides sufficient enforcement powers and are coordinating efforts across numerous agencies. Over S$41 million ($32 million) worth of illegal vapes were seized from January 2024 to March 2025.

  • Men Jailed Over Failed Plot to Steal $5M in Seized Vapes

    Men Jailed Over Failed Plot to Steal $5M in Seized Vapes

    Lim Zhi Wei was sentenced to 27 months in jail and fined S$2,400 ($1,872) for his role in a failed plan to steal more than S$6.5 million ($5.1 million) worth of confiscated vape devices and related components from a secured warehouse in Singapore.

    Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Teo said Lim’s actions were part of a wider conspiracy involving multiple individuals attempting to retrieve the seized contraband. Lim pleaded guilty to obstructing justice, as well as several unrelated charges, including drug consumption, criminal breach of trust, and receiving S$10,000 ($7,800) in scam proceeds through his bank account.

    Lim was offered S$20,000 ($15,600) by alleged ringleader Chua Wee Ming to break into the unit, which contained over 540,000 vaping-related items previously seized from Chua’s alleged smuggling syndicate by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). Lim brought along a 23-year-old accomplice, Elvin Suriaganandhan, and the two began surveilling the property on March 26, 2024, before being stopped by HSA officers.

    Lim’s sentencing follows that of Chee Wai Yuen, who was jailed last week for 15 months after attempting an earlier reconnaissance mission at the same warehouse.

    Chua recruited Chee in March 2023 to check if the unit was guarded, but Chee was intercepted by HSA officers. He was found with ketamine and methamphetamine, fled Singapore while on bail by hiding in a lorry, and was later arrested in Malaysia and extradited in October 2023.

    Chua, the central figure allegedly behind the smuggling ring and theft plan, remains in custody, his case pending.

  • Singapore’s Vape Crackdown Seized $31M in Products

    Singapore’s Vape Crackdown Seized $31M in Products

    Between January 2024 and March 2025, nearly 18,000 people were cited for possession and use of vapes in Singapore after authorities stepped up enforcement efforts, local officials said. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Health said that e-vaporizers and related components worth more than S$41 million ($31.6 million) were seized over that span.

    Those guilty of having vape products can be fined up to S$2,000 ($1,540), while those who import or distribute can be fined up to S$10,000 ($7,700) and/or jailed for up to six months for a first offense.

    Those facing more serious charges include two people linked to an e-vaporizer syndicate case that involved more than S$5 million ($3.9 million) worth of the devices.

  • Young Asians Moving from Cigarettes to Vape

    Young Asians Moving from Cigarettes to Vape

    Young people in Southeast Asia are moving from smoking cigarettes to vaping and heated tobacco products (HTPs) instead, a survey of consumer research and data analytics from Milieu Insight said. It surveyed more than 18,000 legal-age adults across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, studying their consumption trends, flavor preferences, purchase channels, reasons for use, and future adoption.

    “The study shows some key factors influencing this trend,” said Gerald Ang, Milieu Insight’s chief operating officer. “One key factor is the variety of flavor, with fruit and menthol flavor dominating consumer choice in alternative nicotine products.

    “E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products being ‘cheaper’ is also an important reason for using alternative nicotine products.”

    Even though Singapore has banned the use of alternative nicotine products, they are still prevalent among people aged 21 to 29, the survey found, with 7.8% in that age group use vapes and HTPs, while 5.7% smoke cigarettes. The study also found that in Singapore, 43% bought these products from online shopping and messaging platforms, 29% bought the alternative nicotine products from friends and family, and 19% bought them on social media platforms.

    Ang said the study shows that e-cigarette and HTP use in the region is expected to grow, as a sizeable portion of smokers indicated that they were likely to use alternative nicotine products in the next six months.

    In Vietnam, which has also banned these alternative nicotine products, 9.2% of people in the 25 to 34 age bracket are vaping. And in Malaysia, 14.8% of young people between 20 and 29 are using e-cigarettes and HTPs.

  • Singapore Vaping up Despite Ban

    Singapore Vaping up Despite Ban

    Photo: Kalyakan

    Singaporeans are smoking less but vaping more, reports The Straits Times, citing research by Milieu Insight.

    The average number of cigarettes smoked per week fell from 72 sticks in the third quarter of 2021 to 56 in the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Over the same period, consumption of alternative products like e-cigarettes and vaporizers increased from 3.9 percent to 5.2 percent of the population.

    Milieu Insight attributes the gradual decline in cigarettes smoked per week observed since the second quarter of 2022 in part to an increase in proportion of occasional smokers as compared to regular smokers over this period.

    Conducted from Dec. 16 to Dec. 29, 2023, the survey found that the proportion of occasional smokers had increased by 1.2 percentage points to 3.2 percent, from the third quarter of 2021 to the last quarter of 2023. There was also an increase in the number of former smokers over the same period.

    Vaporizers and e-cigarettes have been outlawed in Singapore. Among the reasons cited for their vaping, respondents said they wanted to reduce secondhand smoke and lessen their consumption of traditional cigarettes. The World Health Organization, however, has rejected the products as a cessation aid.

    In December 2023, Singapore’s Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority announced that they were stepping up enforcement and education efforts against vaping to prevent it from gaining a foothold in Singapore.

  • Singapore to Strengthen Vaping Enforcement

    Singapore to Strengthen Vaping Enforcement

    Photo: 2p2play

    Singapore plans to intensify its crackdown on vaping, reports The Straits Times.

    In a joint statement in December 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Health said enforcement and education efforts would be stepped up to prevent vaping from gaining a foothold in Singapore.

    The city state banned vaping in 2018. Buying, owning or using a vaporizer in Singapore can result in fines of up to SGS2,000 ($1,484.69). First-time offenders who import, distribute, sell or offer for sale vaporizers and their components can be fined up to SGD10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

    Authorities encourage citizens with information on the illegal possession, use, purchase, import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of vaporizers to the Tobacco Regulation Branch.

    Despite the risks, vaping has been steadily gaining ground in Singapore, with consumers buying vapes online and from overseas suppliers. In 2022, 4,916 people were violating Singapore’s vaping ban, compared with 1,266 in 2020 and 4,697 in 2021. In December 2023 alone, authorities reported  1,656 vaping -related cases.

  • Taxes had ‘No Impact’ on Singapore’s Vape Ban

    Taxes had ‘No Impact’ on Singapore’s Vape Ban

    The Singapore government said that the potential loss in revenue from tobacco tax was not a factor in its decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018.

    In his reply to a question by a Workers’ Party and Sengkang member of Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the Minister for Finance, said, “The Government’s decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018 was based on public health considerations, to protect our population from the harms of these products. The potential loss in tobacco tax revenue from the reduced consumption of tobacco products was not a factor in this decision.”

    … our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans.”

     

    Lawrence Wong

    Wong added that if the government were to legalize and tax e-cigarettes “the challenges would be similar to those we encounter for cigarettes and other tobacco products today,” according to a Yahoo news report.

    “In any case, the government has no plans to change our current approach, as our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans,” he said.

  • Singapore Cracks Down on Travelers With Vapes

    Singapore Cracks Down on Travelers With Vapes

    Image: monticellllo

    Singapore authorities will step up checks at air, land and sea checkpoints to prevent e-cigarettes from entering the city state, reports the South China Morning Post.

    “Incoming passengers may be screened for e-vaporizers and their components at the arrival halls, and those found with e-vaporizers or their components will be fined,” said the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority in a media release.

    Vaping is illegal in Singapore, and offenders can be fined up to SGD2,000 ($1,490). Those who import, distribute or sell such products face stiffer penalties, including a possible jail term.

    Despite the ban, the number of people caught using and possessing vapes has been rising, including among underage consumers.

    Apart from the border checkpoints, checks will be stepped up at places such as the central business district, shopping centers, parks and smoking areas as well as public entertainment outlets such as bars and clubs.

    Since Dec. 1, enforcement officers from the National Environment Agency have been empowered to take action against people who use or own vapes.

    Singapore authorities said that their multi-agency approach is aimed at protecting its population.

    The World Health Organization said last week that urgent action is needed to control e-cigarettes to protect children and nonsmokers.