Three Online Peddlers Convicted and Fined a Total of $28,500 for Illegal Sale of Vaporisers
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has prosecuted two men and one woman for selling vaporisers such as electronic cigarettes in Singapore. They were convicted in Court between May and July 2016 and fined a total of $28,500 (for more details, please refer to Annex A in the pdf).
2 The three peddlers, Charles Ng Teng Pei, aged 27, Koh Wei Hong, aged 29, and Teo Yi Lin, aged 23, were fined $7,500, $16,500 and $4,500 respectively. They had purchased the vaporisers from overseas suppliers and sold them illegally on various local social media and e-commerce platforms.
3 Investigations revealed that the three peddlers had sold vaporisers to 23 buyers. Koh also admitted to selling the products to two 16-year old students. An estimated street value of $10,000 worth of vaporisers was seized from the peddlers’ residences.
4 These cases were detected through HSA’s cyber-surveillance and enforcement activities, which are targeted at deterring the illegal trade of vaporisers in Singapore. From 2011 to date, HSA has prosecuted 13 persons for selling vaporisers. The stiffest penalty meted out so far was $64,500 for the illegal sale of vaporisers.
Vaporisers are Strictly Prohibited in Singapore
5 HSA would like to remind the public that section 16 of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisement and Sale) Act prohibits the import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of any article that is designed to resemble a tobacco product; this includes vaporisers such as e-cigarettes, e-pipes, e-cigars and the like.
6 Any person who is convicted of an offence under section 16 is liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000 for the first offence and a fine not exceeding $10,000 for the second or subsequent offence for each count of the offence. Any vaporisers imported will be seized and confiscated. Information pertaining to the prohibition of vaporisers in Singapore is available on HSA’s website.
7 The public is strongly advised not to purchase or bring vaporisers into Singapore. The public should also refrain from using vaporisers and discard any vaporisers they have in possession.
8 HSA encourages members of the public who have information on the illegal sale of vaporisers to call its Tobacco Regulation Branch at Tel: 66842036 or 66842037 during office hours (9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday).
Dangers of Vaporisers
9 Despite claims by manufacturers, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of vaporisers in helping smokers quit tobacco use. Instead, such products are likely to lead to nicotine addiction among users, and may also encourage experimentation with other forms of tobacco, in turn leading to chronic diseases and premature death. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also called on marketers of e-cigarettes to immediately stop the unproven claims on vaporisers.
10 The Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Board and HSA are concerned that e-cigarettes could potentially be a gateway to developing a smoking habit, particularly among the young. Smoking is known to increase the risks of chronic diseases and other health conditions, and is a major preventable cause of death.
11 The WHO warned that the use of vaporisers could trigger heart attack, stroke and hypertension. In a report in 2014, the WHO stated that vaporisers contain cancer-causing agents and toxicants, and in some cases, as much as those in conventional cigarettes. In addition, a study conducted by HSA in 2011 also found poor correlation between the actual nicotine content and the labelled amount among different vaporiser products. Vaporisers contain pure nicotine that can cause adverse effects during pregnancy, contribute to cardiovascular disease, promote the growth of tumours and lead to fatal and debilitating conditions.
12 Individuals seeking to quit smoking with the assistance of pharmacotherapy should use a regulated and licensed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product or other non-nicotine medications under proper medical supervision. NRTs, when used in conjunction with counselling, could be effective in helping individuals quit smoking in the long run. Advice and support on smoking cessation is available through the toll-free Quitline at 1800 438 2000 or the iQuit club at www.iquitclub.sg.
HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE
13 JULY 2016
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