The use of e-cigarettes and other forms of
vaporisers – informally known as “vaping” – is widely
practised overseas and marketed by manufacturers as a healthier
alternative to cigarettes.
Despite such marketing, whether vaporisers are
indeed an effective form of nicotine replacement therapy is
controversial. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that
it does not consider
vaping as a legitimate therapy to help smokers quit due to
a lack of scientific evidence.
Under section 16(2A) of
the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act
(TCASA), it is illegal
to possess, purchase and use vaporisers in Singapore as
of 1 February 2018. This includes e-cigarettes, e-pipes and
e-cigars as the TCASA covers any toy, device or article:
Persons found guilty of this offence can be
fined up to $2,000.
In addition, under section 16(1) of
the TCASA, it has been illegal to import
vaporisers from 1 August 2016 onwards.
This means that buying vaporisers online and shipping them to
Singapore for personal use is illegal. Those
guilty of the offence are liable to a fine of up to $10,000
and/or up to 6 months’ jail. Repeat offenders are liable to a fine
of up to $20,000 and/or to 12 months’ jail.
As advised by the Health Sciences Authority in
a press release on
13 July 2016, members of the public should refrain from
using vaporisers, and discard any vaporisers they may own, to
avoid breaking the law.
The post Is Vaping Illegal
in Singapore? appeared first on SingaporeLegalAdvice.com.