Singapore follows Thailand in banning vapes

The wealthy Southeast Asian country sees “tobacco-like products” as a threat.

As of February 1, 2018, it will be a crime for anyone to vape in Singapore. The Southeast Asian country has previously banned the sale of e-cigarettes, and now the law has extended to consumers.

Using or possessing “tobacco-like products” will result in a fine of S$2,000. Exporters or traders of vapes , shisha or smokeless tobacco will face a fine of S$10,000 and six months’ imprisonment. Repeat offenders will face double the penalty.

The new law is the first amendment to the National Tobacco (Advertising and Sales) Act, which was passed by the Singapore Parliament last year.

“People are encouraged to dispose of all banned tobacco products they own,” a health ministry spokesperson told Channel News Asia.

And of course, cigarettes are still legal. Part of the Tobacco Control Act included raising the purchasing age from 18 to 21, and that happened three years ago.

One Asian country after another has restricted, taxed, and banned access to vaping products . Just this week, Malaysia’s health ministry raided hundreds of vape shops and seized all of their nicotine-containing liquids .

Some countries, such as Taiwan and India, have responded quickly to pressure from Western tobacco regulators like the WHO. Others, such as Thailand and Indonesia, fear losing lucrative tobacco tax revenues. Awareness of the potential harm-reduction products for smokers, such as vapes, remains low.

Singapore is a wealthy and highly educated country. The island nation of 5.6 million people is located between Indonesia and Malaysia. It is a financial center and boasts the third largest domestic consumption in the world. The smoking rate here is 15%, on par with the US, UK and Australia.

Adding a ban on e-cigarettes to the Tobacco Act has been the subject of debate in the National Assembly since November last year, but like other countries with a strong tobacco control bias, the ban was passed. And as usual, smokers are the ones who have to bear the consequences.

Source: Vaping360 - Jim McDonald

Translated by: The Vape Club