SINGAPORE: Vaping is illegal in Singapore. But that’s not stopping some people from picking it up and doing it regularly – including as early as in primary school.

In December 2023, CNA reported on a grassroots campaign in the MacPherson neighbourhood calling for youths to surrender their vapes in exchange for a shopping voucher.

The youngest to do so was 12 years old.

On Thursday (Aug 1), Singapore's health authorities said nearly 700 students were referred to them and fined for using or possessing vapes, in the second quarter of 2024.

During that same period, more than 2,500 people were also nabbed for possessing or using vapes, a 30 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

It was described as "an intensified multi-agency effort to protect our population from the harmful effects" of vapes.

Why is vaping so hard to stamp out?

Vaping was first banned in Singapore in 2018. Despite the threat of fines or jail time, the number of people caught possessing or using vapes jumped by 60 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

Health authorities have also noted that from 2019 to 2023, a quarter of those caught below the age of 18 were repeat offenders.

The “very worrying” data points to a clear uptick in the number of people engaging in vape-related activities, said Professor Teo Yik-Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.

It also suggests, globally, that vaping is a much bigger problem than regular tobacco cigarettes ever were, he added.