Debated in Parliament on 5 Nov 2019.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of illegal vape sellers and buyers apprehended in the last three years; (b) how many of these purchases were made online and through physical stores; (c) what have been the actions taken against these offenders; and (d) what more can the Ministry do to deter the purchase and sale of illegal vapes in Singapore.
MOH banned vaporisers to protect the public from health risks associated with such products.
It is an offence under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act to sell, possess for sale, import or distribute vaporisers. Any person who is convicted is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment of up to six months or to both for the first offence, and to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment of up to 12 months or to both, for the second or subsequent offence. With effect from 1 February 2018, the use, purchase or possession of vaporisers is also an offence and is punishable with a fine of up to $2,000.
From 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2019, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) handled 219 cases involving the sale of vaporisers, all of which were sold online. From 1 February 2018 to 30 September 2019, 465 people were caught for the possession of vaporisers. The enforcement actions taken against these offenders depended on the merits of each case and included prosecution, composition fines or a warning. The stiffest penalty imposed was $99,000, for a peddler who was charged on 9 September 2019 for importing and peddling e-cigarettes.
HSA will continue to work with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Singapore Police Force to deter the illegal import, sale and purchase of vaporisers. Besides enforcement, the Health Promotion Board will continue to educate Singaporeans regarding the harmful effects of vaporisers and correct any misconception that vaporisers conclusively help with smoking cessation. At the same time, we will strengthen smoking cessation programmes so that smokers can access proven therapies and methods to help them quit smoking.
I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his answer. I have two supplementary questions. My first supplementary question relates to these illegal vapes also being sold in our neighbourhoods. Besides online sales, according to news reports last month, illegal vaporisers are also being sold in our neighbourhoods including busy shopping districts such as Orchard Road. Buyers and sellers, according to the news report, used code words such as "cartridges" or "juices" to facilitate all these under-the-table illegal sales. My first question is: can I ask that we also step up our enforcement in these areas especially in the neighbourhoods.
My second question relates to a recent study done in the United Kingdom on adults attending the UK National Health Service's Stop Smoking Programme. I would like to ask what are the Ministry's views on this randomised controlled trial that compared e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation.
On the first point, to step up enforcement, we will do so. We have been working closely with online platforms such as Carousell and Instagram to stamp out online sale of vaporisers. With regard to physical sales, we have conducted intelligence, surprise raids, but we will take into consideration the Member's suggestions. If the Member has specific leads, please do share with us.
On the second question, I believe the Member is referring to the study done in UK on adults attending National Health Service's Stop Smoking Services. That study involved 900 smokers with good motivation to quit. When combined with counselling, 18% of smokers in the e-cigarette group quit smoking at 12 months post-intervention. This is compared with 10% of smokers from the NRT group.
However, in the e-cigarette group, 80% of those who quit smoking continued to use e-cigarettes 12 months later. This means that, overall, less than 4% of those in the e-cigarette group quit tobacco product use and their nicotine addiction totally.
As there are concerns about the potential harmful effects of the long-term use of e-cigarettes – the Member may know about the debate in the US where e-cigarettes have been linked to lung injury – this raises the question on whether they would have been better off quitting using other more proven established methods.
In addition, more than 30% of those in the e-cigarette group who failed to quit ended up using both e-cigarettes and cigarettes. This actually leaves them worse off than before, as a recent large study had shown that dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes are actually exposed to more toxins than persons who only smoke cigarettes.
The Ministry's position is that there is currently limited evidence on the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation product but we will continue to monitor emerging evidence and studies like the ones mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong. Our regulation and public health policies are evidence-based and if there is robust evidence that any particular product can safely help smokers completely stop using tobacco or nicotine, we will be happy to consider these options.
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