Mr Speaker,
The renaming of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act to the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act is symbolic of the Government’s increased focus on tackling vaporisers (also known as vapes), which has seen increased usage over the past few years.
The Bill notably increases the fine amounts for vape users, sellers, and smugglers. While this is welcome, given the proliferation of etomidate-laced vapes, or Kpods, I hope that enforcement efforts will provide users the opportunity to turn over a new leaf, instead of inadvertently stigmatising them.
This is especially pertinent as vaping is prevalent amongst children and teens, who have a long future ahead of them. The recent popularity of Kpods too has further added to the risk that our children are exposed to. This is especially so as our brains continue to develop way into our mid 20s, and vape use is especially harmful to the prefrontal cortex. This means that the brain’s neural circuits end up being dysregulated, and is detrimental to attention, impulse control and mood. Vape and nicotine use is associated with dependence, mental health problems and use of other addictive substances.
This is why even though enforcement checks in school to stamp out such behaviour are welcome, we must also be cautious about being overly-punitive with our approach to prevent students from being unduly stigmatised and instead, the focus has to be on giving them the opportunity and support to change. For instance, expelling or suspending a student might set them back academically, especially if they are lagging behind their peers. And because vape and nicotine use is ultimately addictive and causes brain changes, it should be treated as a chronic relapsing disease that may require multiple quit attempts.
Therefore I hope that the Government exercises understanding towards victims and abusers of vape, whose lives and livelihoods are upended. On the other hand, we must clamp down heavily on those who profit off the vape trade. Hence, the different penalty regimes and move to impose a fine of up to $200,000 and 6 years’ jail for vape sellers is one which I support wholeheartedly.
Mr Speaker, aside from imposing bans and handing out fines for vaping, we must also be cognisant that solely relying on enforcement might not sufficiently address underlying systemic factors that result in people turning to vapes.
A 2012 study highlighted that a lower socio-economic status and education level was associated with a higher prevalence of smoking and nicotine addiction. Although it seems unrelated at first glance, our efforts to stamp out vaping is a socioeconomic one, and we can do so by ameliorating the undercurrents of inequality in our society.
Aside from socio-economic factors, we should also aim to tackle, or at least mitigate, the psychological vicious circle that connects vaping and poor mental health.
A New Zealand study found out that people who did not smoke or vape were 40% more likely to do so if they are experiencing mental distress.
However, vaping does not provide the “puff” of least resistance for someone who wishes to escape their circumstances. In fact, the nicotine in vapes is associated with increased stress and anxiety. Vape users are also more likely to attempt suicide compared to non-users.
This ultimately causes a vicious feedback loop that cycles users between poor mental health, vaping, and back again. Although addressing mental health issues is targeted at a broader group, it has a knock-on effect of reducing the likelihood of people turning to vapes in the first place. Therefore, I hope that the Government could work to strengthen mental health support and interventions, especially amongst children, to be much more accessible and age-appropriate.
Anti-Tobacco Measures
Even as we work to address vapes, we must also continue to pay close attention to another societal health risk – smoking.
The increased enforcement against vapes might inadvertently cause users, especially those who use it as a means to quit smoking, to shift back to cigarettes for their nicotine fix.
Notably, this Bill’s second reading comes in the heels of this year’s Budget, where it was announced that Tobacco excise duties would increase by 20%, from 49.1 cents to 58.9 cents per cigarette.
For FY2025, tobacco duties are expected to increase by over S$92.9 million compared to FY2023, when tobacco duties were last increased.
Instead of viewing it as merely a sin tax, another revenue stream, I hope that the Government would explore more ways to use Tobacco duties as a tool to tackle the negative externalities brought about by smoking to smokers, their loved ones, and society at large.
The health implications of smoking are well-known. For smokers, these include the increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Their loved ones, who would likely be subjected to second-hand smoke would experience an increased cancer and stroke risks. Meanwhile, people walking past smokers or the neighbours of smokers would likewise be exposed to second-hand smoke and their associated risks, while society at large would have to partially bear the cost of treating smoking-related health issues.
This has grave implications for our public health. According to the Global Burden of Disease survey, some 66,000 disability-adjusted life years are lost per annum to smoking. The effects of nicotine on young brains, especially those under 25, are even more pronounced, given they are still not fully developed. This is why banning smoking for those aged 21 and below may simply not be enough.
Mr Speaker, I therefore repeat our call to consider instituting a tobacco cohort ban.
While the Government might, rightfully, point out that New Zealand scrapped the ban in 2023, it was done so to subsidise tax cuts. Furthermore, although the country has legalised vapes as a tobacco cessation device, thus leading smokers to turn to vapes instead, targeting the tobacco cohort ban at people born after a certain year – when they are still young children – will significantly minimise their exposure to both tobacco and vapes.
Although New Zealand might have made a U-turn, other countries, such as the Maldives, have also implemented a similar ban, with the United Kingdom seeking to implement a similar measure.
I also acknowledge that our smoking rate has dropped to an all-time low of 8.4%, in no small part due to the efforts of the Government and society at-large. Nevertheless, I believe that we can and should do more. After all, if the authorities have the wherewithal to impose bans on chewable tobacco and vapes, as well as leave the door open to a ban on flavoured tobacco products, I am confident that we can also move decisively to impose a smoking cohort ban, as I have previously mentioned during my Committee of Supply cut for the Ministry of Health. I also hope that we can set out targets for complete smoking cessation over time as an endgame that we can all work towards.
Conclusion
Mr Speaker, while I am supportive of the Government’s “zero-tolerance” approach towards stamping out vapes, we should also be holistic and mindful of the socioeconomic and even possible psychological undercurrents that give rise to vaping. Moreover, our laws should aim to rehabilitate and integrate, rather than ostracise and stigmatise, to curb smoking and vaping altogether whilst preventing damage to lives and livelihoods.
