Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, has announced that vaping will be treated as a drug offense in the country. Speaking at a special gathering on Singapore’s National Day, Prime Minister Wong expressed concern about the negative impact that bad habits from each generation could have on young people. He stated that there will always be new temptations, and vaping is one such danger.
Addressing the issue of vaping for the first time, Wong said that although vaping is banned in Singapore, there are increasing cases of illegal importation of vapes into the country. He also mentioned that people are illegally possessing vaping devices.
Wong stated that these vapes often contain addictive substances. He highlighted that they include atomizers, which are harmful to health. He emphasized that the substances in the vapes are more dangerous than the devices themselves. While atomizers are currently the most commonly used substance, he warned that even more potent and dangerous substances could be used in the future. Therefore, he announced that future cases involving vaping would be dealt with very strictly.
Vaping was banned in Singapore in 2018. Under current law, possession, use, and purchase of vapes are offenses punishable by fines of up to $2,000. However, Wong said that merely imposing fines is not sufficient in this situation, and it’s time for more severe punishments. Consequently, he announced that vaping would be treated as a drug offense in the future, with harsher penalties including jail sentences and other severe punishments.
Wong also stated that help would be provided to those addicted to vaping to help them quit. He announced the launch of a special project to raise public awareness about the dangers of vaping. He emphasized that addressing the vaping issue would be a national-level effort. While the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health will lead these efforts, Wong said the entire government would be involved in this work.
