Singapore tightens vape enforcement on travelers amid global crackdown
Singapore is tightening enforcement efforts against travelers arriving in the Asian nation with electronic vaporizers, part of a global crackdown on the use of e-cigarettes.
Authorities in the financial hub will conduct operations at air, land and sea checkpoints, starting with Changi Airport, according to a health ministry statement. Incoming passengers may be screened for vapes or their components and will be fined if caught, the statement added.
The purchase and use of e-vaporizers is already illegal in Singapore, carrying a maximum fine of S$2,000 ($1,505). People caught importing or selling vape products may be fined as much as S$10,000, and can also face imprisonment of up to six months for a first offense.
Although the long-term effects of vaping are still being discovered, they can bring on nausea, vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pain and palpitations — with young people a target marget.
Singapore — like the UK and Australia — is also seeking to tackle vaping among youth. The city-state’s heightened measures come the week after Australia’s own announcement of a ban on importing disposable vapes from January, and on all-non therapeutic versions from March.
