PUBLISHED ONAugust 11, 2026 7:45 AMUPDATEDAugust 12, 2026 3:57 AMBYSean LerA total of 2,428 people were caught and penalised for possession and use of vaporisers in the second quarter of 2026, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
In a quarterly update released on Tuesday (Aug 11), HSA and the Ministry of Health said that for the period from April 1 to June 30, 1,971, or 81 per cent of those caught, were regular vaporiser offenders, while the remaining 457 were etomidate vaporiser offenders.
The authority said the average of 809 cases per month is about 30 per cent lower than the 1,219 cases caught per month between June and August 2025 — before new anti-vape laws kicked in on Sept 1 last year.
Over the past quarter, nine people were charged for the alleged import or supply of etomidate vaporiser pods, while another 14 were convicted of selling etomidate vaporiser pods.
Of the nine charged in court for the import or supply of etomidate vaporisers, six of them are allegedly part of a transnational syndicate.
Etomidate vaporiser pods worth about $880,000 were seized from them, and their cases pending.
Meanwhile, 3,900 vaporisers and related components were seized from Singapore's checkpoints during this time, which also saw one person charged and another eight placed under investigation for allegedly importing regular vaporisers.
HSA also worked with e-commerce and social media platforms to remove more than 600 online listings of vaporisers and related components.
On the rehabilitation front, 264 offenders were placed on related programmes in the second quarter of 2026, with 245 having successfully completed their rehabilitation since September 1, 2025.
During the same period, 18 people were admitted to Drug Rehabilitation Centre for repeated etomidate offences.
MOH and HSA also announced that the QuitVape programme, introduced in September 2025, will end on Sept 1 this year.
The programme was intended to be a time-limited measure to give abusers an opportunity to voluntarily give up etomidate vaporisers, supporting them to quit without any penalties or an offence record.
Explaining the decision, MOH and HSA said that awareness of the harms of etomidate abuse has increased and the take-up rate for QuitVape has moderated since its launch.
Those who are already on the programme before Sept 1 will still be supported till their completion.
From Sept 1, those who wish to seek help for etomidate abuse can approach the Institute of Mental Health, where relevant services will be provided on a chargeable basis, MOH and HSA added.
For support to quit vaping that does not involve etomidate, those seeking help can still use the Health Promotion Board's "I Quit" programme.
Those who voluntarily seek help will not face any penalties or have an offence record for coming forward.
Offenders caught abusing etomidate and regular vaporisers will still be subject to penalties accordingly.
From May 1, vape users, sellers and smugglers will face higher fines after amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act were passed in Parliament.
The maximum fines for users, sellers and smugglers have been raised to $10,000, $200,000, and $300,000 respectively. Sellers and smugglers may also be jailed for up to six years and nine years.
Need support around vaping or addiction?
To report vaping offences: Contact Health Sciences Authority’s Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684-2036 / 6684-2037 (7am to 12am daily) or https://www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
To quit vaping: Contact Health Promotion Board’s I Quit programme at 1800-438-2000 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/iquit/e-cig/
For more addiction or substance abuse support:
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