Govt plans stiffer penalties, jail time for vaping offences
'So far we've treated vaping like tobacco – at most we impose a fine, but that's no longer enough,' he announced during a national address on Sunday.
'We will treat this as a drug issue and impose much stiffer penalties.'
That means jail sentences and more severe punishments for those who sell vapes laced with harmful substances, Wong said, adding that the government will provide rehabilitation for addicts.
Vapes are already banned in Singapore, with health officials warning that a third of those seized are laced with the anaesthetic substance, etomidate.
Doctors typically inject etomidate to induce sedation, but misusing it can cause hallucinations and permanent organ failure.
Singapore is working to reclassify etomidate as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Under the new classification, users of etomidate-laced vapes will face equally tough punishment in Singapore as consumers of hard drugs like cocaine.
They'll be put through mandatory rehabilitation or, for repeat offenders, sentenced to at least a year in jail.
'We have banned it in Singapore, but people are still smuggling vapes in and finding ways to get around our laws,' Wong said. — Bloomberg
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