December 24, 2009 - In Singapore the import and sale of e-cigarettes is illegal because under anti-smoking laws, anything that resembles a tobacco product cannot be imported, sold, or offered for sale. If convicted, a person can be fined up to 5,000 Singapore dollars (3,496 U.S. dollars). Health Sciences Authority (HSA): there is no smoke and no fire but an e-cigarette is still a cigarette.
So far this year HSA has evicted 13 people for bringing in and selling the much-hyped e-cigarette, local media reported on Wednesday, December 23. Among the 13 individuals investigated are four local suppliers who set up websites to hawk the product. The other nine ordered the device online from overseas suppliers, local newspaper. Last year's numbers are unavailable as cases started appearing late last year.
Touted as a "healthy" way to beat rising cigarette prices and a widening ban on smoking here, the electronic cigarette comprises a cartridge of liquid nicotine inserted into a battery-operated steel tube. A heating coil vaporizes the nicotine into a fine mist, which is then inhaled.With e-cigarettes there are many flavored cartridges to choose from such as cherry and strawberry. Do you want your child to be a nicotine addict for the rest of their lives??
References: 13 people warned or fined over e-cigarettes in Singapore, Editor: Lin Zhi , ChinaView.cn, 12/23/2009; 13 warned, fined over e-cigs by Teh Joo Lin, The Straits Times, 12/23/2009.
Singapore - some related news briefs: Singapore - record number of smuggling attemps for 1st part of 2009..;
Singapore - new measures to discourage smoking among the young..;
Singapore - more people were smoking in 2007 than 2004..;
Singapore - Smoking increase despite public ban, price hike..; Singapore - Introduction of Tobacco Stamp to combat contraband...
1 comments:
October 20, 2010 at 11:46 PM
This is a very narrow view of e-cigarettes. If enough research has been done into the better brands of e-cigarettes, you will see that the e-cigarettes are available in stepped down measures of nicotine until 0mg nicotine. This is because smoking is also a psychological addiction aside from physical. You can get over the physical addiction fairly quickly, but it is the psychological addiction that is stronger. Smokers and ex-smokers alike, like to go through the motion of smoking because it distracts and therefore calms them. A flat, outright ban of e-cigarettes is not a well-informed decision.
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