If the Singaporean government violates e-cigarette sanctions, it is drawing attention by taking out a stricter punishment card, including a maximum one-year prison sentence.
According to Bloomberg News on the 17th, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, “So far, we have treated e-cigarettes like cigarettes, but at best, we have imposed fines. This is no longer enough. We will treat this as a drug problem and impose far stronger penalties.”
That means jail time and harsher penalties for those who sell e-cigarettes mixed with harmful substances, Bloomberg said.
The Singaporean government will also provide rehabilitation services to e-cigarette addicts, Wong added. E-cigarettes are already banned in Singapore, and health officials warn that a third of seized e-cigarettes are combined with the anesthetic, etomidate.
Etomidate contained in e-cigarettes is administered in hospitals for sedation induction, but misusing it can cause hallucinations and permanent organ failure.
Singapore is working to reclassify etomidate as an illegal drug under the Drug Abuse Act. When the new classification is applied, e-cigarette users with ethomidate will be subject to strong penalties equal to those of consumers of drugs such as cocaine. They must go through mandatory rehabilitation procedures and face a minimum of one year in prison for recidivism.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
