Vaping

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1679
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 7 FEBRUARY 2023

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong
MP for Jurong GRC

Question No. 4127

To ask the Minister for Health whether there will be a review of the enforcement measures on vaping users and sellers of vaporisers and consumables.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1676
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 7 FEBRUARY 2023

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Saktiandi Supaat
MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question No. 4194

To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry considers the outright ban on vaporisers since 1 February 2018 to be effective in combating the growing popularity of vaping and e-cigarettes; and (b) what are the causes for the continued rise in the vaping trend in Singapore over the last three years.

Answer

The harms relating to e-vaporisers are clear and MOH takes a multi-pronged approach to curb the illicit sales and use. The Health Sciences Authority oversees enforcements and works closely with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in relation to illegal imports of e-vaporisers. In schools, MOH and the Health Promotion Board work with the Ministry of Education to raise awareness about the harms of vaping and encourage children and youths to lead a nicotine-free lifestyle. Schools take a serious view of vaping.

However, we have seen a worrying trend in the increasing use of e-vaporisers both locally and globally which could be attributed to the packaging and the variety of attractive flavours and scents and the easy access to e-vaporisers through e-commerce. There are also common misconceptions regarding the harm of e-vaporisers.  

The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the use of e-vaporisers and reviewing the strategy against vaping. We will work with our partners to strengthen both enforcement and education measures to curb e-vaporiser use.