Singapore Cracks Down On Black Market Vape Sellers

In 2011, Singapore passed an "imitation smoking product" law, prohibiting sales of vaping products, and when that wasn't enough to cub vaping, they followed that up in 2018 with a flat-out ban on use and possession of vape products.

Whenever something is outlawed, only outlaws will have it available to sell. This ranges from guns, to vape devices, to turnips. And just as likely, whenever something is outlawed, you can bet there will be a black market not far away. Contrary to my mother's long-held belief that "The Black Market" was something akin to a physical, underworld flea market which only criminals were privy to the ultra-secret location of; actual black market sellers typically find their customers through mail, social media, word-of-mouth, in-person rendezvous, and fly-by-night "now it's here, now it's gone," websites.

I'm pretty sure my mother was picturing something like this, but with more AK-47's.

This also means that, despite these bans, everyone's favorite nation that ends in "-apore," is still home to a thriving black market community, who are very invested in making sure people get the fix that their government says is absolutely tidak baik. (Not good.) The Singapore Health Sciences Authority, (HSA,) has prosecuted forty-three individuals for sale of vape products between January of 2018 through February, 2021.

On April 5th, the Singaporean government announced that they'd convicted eight people since November of 2020, and hit them with fines and prison terms. They were fined, (in total,) $172,500 Singapore dollars. (Around 128 grand in the US.) Four of the convicted black marketers didn't pay their fine, and were given prison sentences, in varying lengths from twenty-two to one hundred and twenty-two days. One repeat offender was sentenced to a week, but also had to pay a S$61,000 fine.

The HSA has also taken credit for hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines being assessed, including a single fine of S$99,000, (or $74,000 US.)

The World Health Organization, (WHO,) doesn't view vaping as a harm-reducing replacement for smoking, and their anti-harm reduction stance and policies have caused many Asian countries to join Singapore in their broad-strokes bans against vaping products. However, the WHO and its anti-tobacco branch, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, (or The FCTC,) are primarily (and heavily,) influenced by billionaire ex-mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, and the will of his anti-vaping, tobacco control organizations. This means that the World Health Organization is less like an open-minded group devoted to dictating policy based on medical science and research—as it is intended to be—and more like Michael Bloomberg's personal rubber stamp against anything and everything tobacco or vape-related.

Recently, the UK pushed back against this stance of the WHO, and seeing Bloomberg's personal influence overruling the science behind vaping, issued a parliamentary inquiry. The inquiry lasted for four months, and resulted in a paper being published that suggested the UK cut funds to the WHO, for as long as they are no longer operating as intended, and simply listening to Bloomberg's groups, and taking funding from him.

Many nations side with the UK's position that vaping is a harm-reduction tool whether the WHO agrees or not, however. Last month, a position paper was published by the nicotine consumer group INNCO, challenging Bloomberg's anti-tobacco groups, and their opposition to harm-reduction. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also questioned Bloomberg Philanthropy's involvement and stance regarding tobacco control and anti-vaping rhetoric.

So, for those of you selling on the black market, shame on you. For those of you who are selling legitimately, keep it up. For now, it looks like the bans and fines will continue in some nations, and in others, some progress is being made to legitimize vaping as an anti-harm tool to quit smoking. Perhaps someday, vaping and tobacco will no longer be considered unsavory bedfellows, and the vaping industry can start being recognized as the independent (and less risky) body that it is by comparison.

Until that day comes, however, the wait continues... as do the fines, if you're in Singapore.