SINGAPORE – The authorities are looking to take action faster against young repeat vape offenders, including by detecting them from their first offence.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on April 12 that the authorities have noticed a group of “recalcitrant” young vape users, with some of them getting caught three times even while undergoing rehabilitation.
He said: “For this group, (we are) paying some attention to it, because you don’t want a group of young, recalcitrant youths going into this, getting addicted, and then they destroy their lives.”
The authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against vapes in the past year, following reports that a number of them were laced with drugs.
Asked about the vaping situation here with more stringent laws to kick in on May 1, Mr Ong said the temporary measures have worked for the majority and that recalcitrant offenders were expected.
But this group of young repeat offenders was of particular concern, he said while speaking to local media on the sidelines of a brisk walking event in Sembawang Central on April 12.
He listed current protocols whereby action is escalated each time a person is caught with vapes laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic agent.
First-time offenders are usually issued a fine or sent to rehabilitation while those caught a second time are sent for a urine test.
Those caught a third time can be sent to a drug rehabilitation centre.
But the authorities are now looking at how they can escalate and take firmer action faster, such as by detecting potential repeat offenders from the first offence, said Mr Ong.
He said: “That way, I think we nip the problem in the bud. These are operational issues that are still unfolding and we are still improving.”
