SINGAPORE – Eight persons, aged 18 to 24, were fined for vape-related offences following enforcement operations conducted from Sept 8 to Nov 14 at and around all 12 institutes of higher learning (IHLs).
A total of 19 vapes and related components were seized and the offenders were issued fines on the spot, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a joint statement on Nov 27.
During the operations, HSA enforcement officers and IHL campus security officers checked locations within and around the IHLs, with images provided by the authorities showing checks being carried out in toilet cubicles, stairways and overhead bridges.
In addition to fines imposed by the HSA, students caught for vaping offences will also be punished by their schools, with the punishments “strengthened to align with the stricter national posture against vaping”, according to the joint statement.
For example, a 24-year-old man caught for vape-related offences on campus in September was fined by the HSA and received disciplinary action from his school, HSA and MOE said.
He will undergo mandatory counselling, the statement added.
