Authorities in Singapore foiled an attempt to smuggle e-cigarettes into the country in the wake of a recent ban.
According to Batam News Asia, a search at the Woodlands Checkpoint unearthed 1,169 vapes hidden in a secret rear seat compartment of a Malaysian-registered car. The discovery is the latest in a series of thwarted smuggling efforts after Singapore enacted new penalties on its e-cigarette ban on September 1.
The country banned vapes back in 2018, but the penalties were not as strictly enforced before this year's new policy. Authorities are most concerned about the health risks involved with smoking e-cigarettes, particularly with increasing use of etomidate — an anaesthetic — in vapes, according to Singapore's Ministry of Health.
The concern over illicit substances in vapes, as well as their addictive quality, has made regulating them with younger populations a concern internationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that no e-cigarettes are safe and say that youths, young adults, and pregnant women should never use them.
Beyond health concerns, the single-use nature of these plastic devices poses a threat to the environment. Not only are the packaging materials not biodegradable, but an impact report by the National Institute of Health also found that they often contain mercury and lead, which can leak and contaminate nearby soil and water when disposed of.
The variety of factors at play has made banning single-use vapes a growing trend, with England, Belgium, Australia, and New Zealand among the countries that have joined Singapore with similar legislation.
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In Singapore, the latest penalties for possession range from fines for first-time offenders to even rehabilitation programs for repeat users. Traffickers like the owner of the Woodlands Checkpoint car face jail time and even lashings with a cane.
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