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SINGAPORE: While selling or possessing electronic vaporizers, or vapers, is illegal in Singapore, this does not stop people from openly offering these devices online.
A check this week by CNA showed at least 10 vape chat groups targeting Singaporeans on the Telegram messaging platform. The groups are open for anyone to see and join, and they seem popular.
Most Telegram groups have a few thousand members, and CNA saw that several had more than 10,000.
READ: HSA seizes more than S $ 369,000 worth of electronic vaporizers and accessories in record haul
Within Telegram groups, there is a constant stream of messages from providers about vaping devices and related equipment that are available.
The only rule that groups seem to have is that they are not allowed to sell to people under 18 years of age, and some messages from group suppliers include this warning.
These sales channels are on the authorities’ radar.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) conducts active online surveillance and takes enforcement action against those who buy or sell electronic vaporizer products online, he said in response to inquiries from the CNA.
Authorities carried out more than 170 operations targeting illegal online sales on retail sites between 2018 and 2020, HSA said.
He has also collaborated with online platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and e-commerce sites to remove posts about the illegal sale of electronic vaporizer products. More than 2,000 posts were removed in 2020, HSA said.
CNA investigated where vaping equipment is being illegally sold after news this week that HSA seized S $ 369,150 worth of electronic vaporizers and related accessories, the agency’s biggest loot so far.
HSA received a notice that there were several shipments containing electronic vaporizer items waiting to be picked up by consignees at a storage facility in Tuas, authorities said in a press release on Tuesday (March 23).
More than 1,000 e-vaporizers, and more than 25,000 related components called capsules, were seized from the storage facility and a house raid. Currently, three people are assisting HSA in the investigation, authorities said in the statement.
A total of 1,157 assorted e-vaporizers and 25,345 assorted pods or e-vaporizer components were seized from the storage facility in Tuas and the residence of a man. (Photo: Health Sciences Authority)
There are also sellers on social media platforms like Instagram, some of whom post photos of what they are selling on Instagram stories, which only stay online for 24 hours, making it difficult to track them.
Some of the supplies appear to come from Johor Bahru. An Instagram page apparently belonging to a vaporizer supplier at JB says: “Hello Singapore people. We listened to you. Good news for you. We open the order again.”
READ: 7 out of 10 young people are unaware of the cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarettes: HPB
A JB advertising Instagram post for clients in Singapore.
According to information from ICA, many of those who bring vape pods, pens and accessories to Singapore across the border usually hide them in nondescript cardboard boxes and car compartments.
After inspecting anomalies in X-ray images, ICA has also found them in shipments declared as other goods such as beauty products, toys and clothing. They have even found refill capsules hidden in LED bulbs and a bowl of cooked rice.
In July 2020, ICA officers at the Changi Airfreight Center found 42 electronic vaporizer refill capsules hidden in LED bulbs after detecting anomalies in X-ray images. (PHOTO: ICA)
A member of a Telegram vaping chat group who spoke to CNA anonymously said that he joined the group because someone recommended him who knew of his interest in vaping.
Despite being in the group, she hesitates to enter the illegal world of vaping due to the fear of being caught and the health risks involved.
“The idea of vaping incidents causing hospitalization scares me … that’s why I haven’t bought it yet,” he said. She added that she doesn’t want to be fined for vaping.
DIFFICULT TO PROCESS FOREIGN OFFENDERS
It is a crime under the Tobacco (Ad and Sale Control) Act to sell, offer for sale, possess for sale, import or distribute electronic vaporizers. The offense carries a penalty of up to S $ 10,000 in fines and a maximum of six months in jail for the first offense.
The ban on the possession, use and purchase of electronic vaporizers went into effect on February 1, 2018. Anyone convicted can be fined up to S $ 2,000.
HSA told CNA that in the first two months of this year, the agency captured six people for selling electronic vaporizers and 443 people for owning and using such products.
Criminal lawyer Adrian Wee of Characterist LLC told CNA that since it is a crime to import vaping products, anyone involved in the import could be prosecuted.
“It doesn’t matter who the person is or where the person is. The question is whether that person has played a role in importing the product, “he added.
“But in practical terms, if that person is abroad, there are very limited avenues to detain or prosecute that person.”
This means that it would be difficult to prosecute sellers who are located abroad, unless there are similar sanctions and mechanisms to prosecute these people in their country of origin, he added.
Trading on Telegram also helps providers avoid being identified. CNA observed that some groups kept their membership list hidden, and many vendors advertising the groups used nicknames and faceless profile pictures.
Most providers would operate with untraceable phone numbers, and Telegram is encrypted and has a feature to automatically delete messages, Wee said. This means that evidence against suppliers or buyers may not stay on phones long enough before they are caught, he added.
HEALTH RISKS OF VAPAR
Besides being illegal, vaping also carries health risks. The biggest concern would be EVALI, which stands for lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarettes or vaping products, said The Respiratory Practice respiratory consultant physician at Farrer Park Hospital Dr. Alvin Ng.
The symptoms of EVALI resemble those of pneumonia, such as shortness of breath, coughing, and can lead to serious lung injury that requires mechanical ventilation, he said.
“Unlike bacterial pneumonia, EVALI does not respond to antibiotics and, in severe cases, can lead to death,” said Dr. Ng, who is also an intensivist, certified by the board to care for critically ill patients.
While he has not personally treated patients who vape, Dr. Ng said reports from overseas indicate that patients are in the younger age group, “largely due to the growing popularity of vaping among the younger generation. who considers vaping to be fashionable. ”
“The younger generation is drawn to the flavoring used in vaping products, the lack of a smoky smell, and the relatively cheaper cost of vaping products compared to conventional cigarettes,” he said.
However, he said that vaping is not a better alternative than smoking as there is still nicotine in vaping products and therefore these products are still addictive.
“Additionally, additives in vaping products may contain unknown substances that have been implicated as possible agents for lung injury and death,” he said.
Chemical compounds in electronic vaporizers, also called e-cigarettes, include carcinogens like nicotine, a highly addictive and toxic chemical found in insecticides. They also contain formaldehyde, which is used as embalming fluid, as well as benzene, which is found in car exhausts. Existing evidence shows that these chemicals pose multiple health risks for both users and non-users.
