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The Big Read in short: How can S’pore tackle vaping prevalence among youths?

SINGAPORE — When Henry first started using electronic vapourisers, or vapes, back in 2020, it was because it “seemed easier to hide” and “tasted better” than normal cigarettes. 

The increasing prevalence of vaping is not only confined to those above 21, the legal smoking age, but has also seen children and teenagers pick it up as well.

The increasing prevalence of vaping is not only confined to those above 21, the legal smoking age, but has also seen children and teenagers pick it up as well.

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Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at the increasing prevalence of vaping among youths here, and what can be done to address the issue. This is a shortened version of the full feature, which can be found here.

  • While there are no official statistics on how many people in Singapore currently vape, indications are that the number has gone up over the past few years, particularly among youths
  • Even though vaping is illegal, youths told TODAY they vape for a variety of reasons, including ease of access, cheaper cost compared to cigarettes and the impression that "everyone" does it
  • While some youths believe vaping to be healthier than smoking, experts said that the science on this is still inconclusive and vaping is certainly harmful
  • Youths interviewed said that even if enforcement is tightened, they will still continue vaping in some capacity, highlighting the mammoth task the authorities have in stamping out the habit
  • While the youths would prefer that the Government legalise and regulate vaping, experts and Members of Parliament say that it will be an irreversible process that could lead to a slippery slope

SINGAPORE — When Henry first started using electronic vapourisers, or vapes, back in 2020, it was because it “seemed easier to hide” and “tasted better” than normal cigarettes. 

While the 28-year-old was already a smoker, the Covid-19 measures imposed then meant that he had to stay at home most of the time.

In those few months, his vaping device — which along with all vaping related-products are banned in Singapore — came in handy. 

“I definitely vaped more during the circuit breaker, because my family doesn’t know I smoke,” said Henry, who works in publishing. 

“I could just vape in my room, and no one will know.” 

Henry is far from being the only user of vape here, with the illegal practice attracting more and more young people here. 

TODAY spoke to 11 vapers between the ages of 20 and 28, all of whom, including Henry, were given pseudonyms, as they are aware that what they are doing is against the law.

The handheld battery powered device, which looks like a highlighter pen or pod, works by inserting a pod of vaping liquid into it, which comes in a variety of different flavours. 

Another vaper is Sarah, who began vaping in 2020 during her first year of junior college, when she was 17. She had already been smoking at that time, but found it hard to get her hands on cigarettes as she was underage. 

“I think vaping is way more accessible, when you’re purchasing them, the sellers don’t really ask for IC,” she added. 

WHY IT MATTERS

In Singapore, the importation and sale of e-cigarettes and vapes is banned under a blanket prohibition on imitation tobacco products.

In 2018, the ban was extended to cover the purchase, use and possession of such products as well. 

Explaining Singapore’s stance on vaping, then-Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Amrin Amin said in 2019 that the comprehensive ban is intended to protect the public from the harms of emerging tobacco products. 

While there are no official statistics to show how many people in Singapore currently vape, there are indications that the practice has been growing in popularity over the past few years. 

While there are no official statistics to show how many people in Singapore currently vape, there are indications that the practice has been growing in popularity over the past few years. 

In turn, the Government has taken or is considering firmer action against offenders.

Last year, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) caught 4,916 people for vaping, an almost fourfold increase compared with 1,266 people in 2020.

Earlier this month, over 85,000 e-vapourisers and components were seized in the authorities' largest haul to date.  

In March, it was announced in Parliament that HSA and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are working on a cross-agency pilot programme to strengthen the current enforcement regime against the use of vapes.

While the Singapore authorities are sticking to their zero-tolerance stance towards vaping, this is not the case around the world. 

For instance, Britain announced this week that up to one million smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes in a bid to encourage them to quit smoking. 

THE BIG PICTURE

While vapers like Henry and Sarah mentioned factors such as ease of access and concealability, many others cited the relatively cheaper cost of vaping as the main reason for their habit. 

Those interviewed said that vaping costs about half of what they would have spent on traditional cigarettes.

For instance, one 25-year-old vaper said that he spends about S$10 for a box of three pods of vaping liquid, and in an average month, he uses three boxes or nine pods, spending about S$30. 

However, had he smoked traditional cigarettes, he estimated that he would have spent the same amount in about half the time, as he would have used about two cigarette packs in two weeks, spending about S$15 per pack. 

The fact that many of the people around them vape has also normalised the entire habit for those interviewed by TODAY.

Most of the vapers estimated that about seven to eight out of 10 of their friends also vape. 

“Right now, I see friends vaping everywhere,” said another 28-year-old vaper, who works in advertising. 

He added that the most common occasion to vape is during drinking sessions, even in public bars and clubs, as well as when they are hanging out at one another’s homes. 

Local experts cautioned that vaping is certainly harmful, and the science is inconclusive as to whether it is any less harmful than cigarettes.

Smoking cessation specialist Sean Ang said that vaping is “definitely not healthy”, and that while vaping, harmful chemicals are introduced into the vaper’s body, nicotine being one of them. 

“These chemicals can increase a person’s risk of getting respiratory and cardiovascular conditions (and) there are even reports of seizures happening.”

Mr Ang added that since there is no regulation on vaping products, it is not known what the contents of the vaping pods are. 

Local experts cautioned that vaping is certainly harmful, and the science is inconclusive as to whether it is any less harmful than cigarettes.

Agreeing, Dr Lambert Low, a consultant at the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said that vapes contain nicotine which may be in a higher concentration than the one found in cigarettes.

“Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical and has been shown to be detrimental to the developing brain of adolescents.

The chemical predisposes them to cognitive impairments such as “problems with attention and memory as well as behavioural and emotional problems later on such as depression and anxiety disorders”, Dr Low added.

THE BOTTOMLINE

Members of Parliament (MPs) that TODAY spoke to acknowledged that it will be challenging to clamp down on vaping, but said that the focus should not only be on punitive measures and enforcement, but also on educating the public. 

Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, an MP for Jalan Besar Group Representation constituency (GRC), said that public education on vaping can include raising awareness about the health risks of vaping, implementing stricter regulations on the marketing and sale of e-vapourisers and promoting “positive social norms that discourage vaping”.  

While acknowledging that further details of the inter-agency task force against vaping have not been released by MOH, Mr Saktiandi Supaat, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said he hopes to see some inter-ministry collaboration to tackle the complex issue. 

“It cannot be just MOH, it needs to be a whole-of-Government effort."

For example, the MOE could be involved in educating youth on the vaping issue, while sterner enforcement could come from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he suggested. 

Although the authorities are planning further action to curb the rising number of vape users, those interviewed still hope that the Government will legalise vaping, even as they recognise the need to regulate it. 

Some of them said that by regulating vapes and legalising the sale of vapes, there could be better due diligence, where identity cards are checked before purchase like with cigarettes, to prevent underage vaping.

One vaper added that lifting the ban on vaping could also help with quality control, since most vapers now do not know the chemical composition of what they are buying. 

Dr Jeremy Lim, director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that it "would be worth looking at” regulated access as a means to make nicotine alternatives to existing smokers and restrict these products to non-smokers.

Such regulation would include limiting prescription or sale to those with proper training, including retailers, and tracking users’ sharing of products with others.

"Technology may be useful here including user recognition modalities. Marketing restrictions would also be sensible albeit operationally challenging with social media promotion," he said.

"The Singapore professional and lay communities really need to have the discussions around whether our current policy and regulatory positions make sense in terms of protecting public health and well-being of all Singapore residents, smokers as well as youth."

Other experts however cautioned against the irreversibility of legalising an inherently harmful product.

IMH’s Dr Low said: “We need to maintain our stance for the sake of the health of our people due to the harms associated with its use.”

Ultimately, he argued that vapes sustain an addiction to nicotine, but do not end it.

Mr Saktiandi said that any decision to lift the ban on vaping will have “ramifications for generations even though it may seem trivial to do so at this point”. 

He added that the long-term health issues from vaping can affect the current generation as they age, and incur “a cost to taxpayers in the future”.

“I am inclined on balance to a decision where we can save more lives going forward, rather than to meet current pressures from vaping businesses and users,” Mr Saktiandi said. 

Related topics

e-cigarette e-vaporisers vape Smoking

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