Singapore strengthens crackdown on e-cigarette promotion and sales

According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on May 8th, Singapore has not only banned e-cigarettes, but also prohibited any related advertisements. Last year, Singapore removed over 3000 online advertisements or posts related to e-cigarettes. Authorities are also enhancing penalties for e-cigarette offenses, in order to increase deterrence against those who promote, import, and sell e-cigarettes.

The Senior Minister of State for Health and Law, Rahayu Mahzam, revealed this information during a parliamentary meeting on May 8 in response to questions from Members of Parliament Png Eng Huat and Dr. Janil Puthucheary. She highlighted that the Health Sciences Authority has been closely monitoring the illegal sale of e-cigarettes on social media, e-commerce platforms, and messaging apps and has taken action by removing a significant number of related posts or advertisements.

Zhou Kainian asked how authorities are using social media platforms to increase public awareness of the harms of e-cigarettes and to discourage young people from using them. Meanwhile, Dr. Wen Lijia questioned how enforcement can be strengthened to crack down on illegal importing, distributing, and promoting of e-cigarettes in Singapore, as well as how to collaborate with other agencies to ensure online content complies with existing regulations.

According to Rahayu Mazam, the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act in Singapore has already banned advertisements related to e-cigarettes. "However, the internet and social media are global ecosystems, and our domestic ban cannot prevent influencers from other countries or regions from posting such content," she said.

Lahayu Mazan stated that, despite facing numerous challenges, the authorities have taken steps to cooperate with other government agencies and actively negotiate with social media platforms and e-commerce platforms to successfully remove a significant amount of content related to e-cigarettes.

According to statistics, authorities removed more than 3000 e-cigarette-related online advertisements or posts last year, a significant increase from the 2600 removed in 2022. In March, authorities issued warnings to 16 social media and e-commerce service providers that contained e-cigarette-related content. These platforms are obligated to review e-cigarette-related content targeting local residents and actively remove it.

In addition, authorities have also been actively promoting health information, such as last year when the Health Promotion Board launched a campaign to educate young people about the dangers of e-cigarettes.