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Singapore: As politicians in Canberra argue the merits of the Albanese government’s proposed ban on the manufacture and sale of vapes without a prescription, Singapore is struggling to enforce its own hardline stance against e-cigarettes.
Although it’s not uncommon to see Singaporean office workers puffing on nicotine lolly juice around Raffles Place or Robertson Quay, Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-vaping laws.
It’s not uncommon to see office workers puffing on nicotine lolly juice around Raffles Place or Robertson Quay.Credit: Jeenah Moon
Anyone caught with a vape on the street can be fined $S2000 ($2260). Anyone caught selling one will cop a $10,000 penalty. Those found with a vape can have their property searched for more devices, and face possible jail time if more are found.
Customs officers patrol immigration checkpoints at the airport, ferry terminals and land borders looking for vapes. They caught 177 people at Changi airport in four days alone in December.
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None of this has made much difference. Ready black market availability and pervasive nicotine addiction have driven vaping to record highs. There are now four times the number of people using vapes in Singapore than in 2020, according to figures from the Health Sciences Authority. Most of the contraband devices are sourced through the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
Singapore’s other big problem is geography. Next door in Malaysia, you can pick up a vape when you land at the airport and grab another near the departure gate when you fly out. The vaping industry has been unleashed across the country, which has twice as many smokers as Australia. Marketing billboards in Malaysian convenience stores promote live vape reviews on TikTok and Instagram. Recently the “Bugatti”, a vape boasting 12,000 puffs in one device, toured the country on a weeklong roadshow.
In neighbouring Indonesia, the government has chosen to regulate vapes by imposing taxes. Vapes have surged 10-fold over the past decade in the archipelago as an alternative to smoking. Batam, a border town just across the Singapore Strait, and best known for welcoming Singaporean businessmen and their mistresses, has a thriving local vape scene.