LIFESTYLE | Regulation key to eliminating black market for vapes

Regulation, not a ban, is the key to eliminating the black market for vape products, according to a leading addiction specialist in Singapore.

Andrew da Roza, a qualified addiction psychotherapist and board member of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association, said proper regulation of vape products would prevent youth use and provide smokers with a less harmful alternative to combustible cigarettes.

“The vast majority of vapers are smokers, and they’re adults. If you regulate it, then smokers can buy vapes from reputable retailers, and the black market will shrink,” da Roza said in a recent interview with CNA938, Singapore’s top news station.

“We can see evidence in countries that have regulated vapes,” he said. “You can see the difference in the black markets. Compared to countries that have regulated and have not – black market has evidently reduced in those that have regulated. So it’s very, very important we regulate,” he said.
Da Roza cited scientific literature showing that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes. He also disputed the claim that vaping is more harmful because the vapor travels deeper into the lungs.
“In fact, cigarettes have many toxins that stay in the lungs after being inhaled, while vapor does not,” he said.

Studies have shown that quitting vaping is easier than quitting smoking, da Roza said. “Cigarettes contain more than just nicotine – they contain other very dangerous chemicals,” he said. “Vaping does not have the same addictive qualities as smoking.”

Da Roza said vaping could even help reduce smoke production, which benefits the environment.
“In Britain, cigarette smokers are encouraged to switch to vaping to quit smoking, and vapes are even given out in hospitals in psychiatric clinics,” he said.

Da Roza suggested regulating vapes similarly to alcohol and cigarettes to keep them out of the hands of children. He also said education campaigns based on scientific evidence are needed to inform youths about the risks of vaping.

“Vaping is not the same as smoking tobacco leaves or cigarettes, and it is definitely not as harmful,” da Roza said. “A well-regulated vaping option is the way forward in Singapore.”
In the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry announced that starting June 5, 2024, certification of imported and locally manufactured vape products is mandatory to ensure their safety and quality.

“No vape products should enter the country, especially if they do not bear product standard (PS) marks/license or ICC marks,” said DTI-Consumer Protection Group Undersecretary Amanda Nograles.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue, meanwhile, announced that effective June 1, 2024, Revenue Memorandum Circular 59-2024 mandates the use of new tax stamps to be affixed on all vape products sold in the country to curb the proliferation of unregulated vape products in the market.

Da Roza said Singapore needs “regulation so that we have liquids in Singapore that we know what’s in them, and we know that they’re the safest liquids available at the time and in the future.”

“It is possible to create a liquid that is as safe as nicotine replacement therapy, and they do exist,” he said. “But we need to regulate that to make sure they exist here in Singapore.”
Vaping should be legalized and regulated, similar to cigarettes, with a strict minimum age limit, da Roza said.

He said the current penalties are sufficient, but enforcement needs to be improved. “No one really gets punished for vaping in Singapore, to be honest,” he said. “Even though the numbers are high, it is still very apparent in Singapore.”

“You do not want people to be criminalized,” he said.

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