In Singapore, where a ban on the purchase, possession and use of vapor products took effect February 1, 2018, with non-compliance resulting in a fine of up to S$ 2,000 (US$ 1,500), the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said 67 people have been caught using vape devices in the 10 months following the implementation of the effect, according to a story published in the Straits Times. In the past five years, a total of 245 retailers have been caught selling vapor products in violation of a 1993 ban on their sale, distribution and importation, HSA noted.
Non-compliant retailers and businesses face a fine of up to S$ 10,000 (US$ 7,400) or a prison sentence of up to six months, or both, for the first offence, with penalties doubling up for the second or subsequent violations. Lena Teo, deputy director of therapy and mental wellness services at Care Singapore, said vaping “is popular among youth as they think it is cool and odorless. There are so many different flavors (of the vape juice) and you can create smoke circles.” Dr Tan Kok Kuan of Dr Tan & Partners said it is “now accepted by most national and international health authorities that e-cigarettes expose the user to much fewer toxins compared to cigarettes,” but e-liquids contain nicotine, which is “highly addictive when it is inhaled, and other harmful chemicals.”