The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) fined five individuals for vaping after identifying vaping hotspots in Khatib, Yishun, and Punggol based on public reports.
Between the ages of 15 and 37, they were apprehended vaping during HSA and the National Environment Agency's joint enforcement operations from October 8 to October 10.
One of them, a 15-year-old girl, was caught in Punggol.
In a statement on Monday, October 13, HSA said, "Following public feedback received from our reporting platforms, we identified vaping hot spots and conducted enforcement operations in these areas."
Six vapes and their parts were confiscated, one of which was thought to contain etomidate. The Kpod has been sent for testing, according to HSA. One person, under-21-year-old, was also found to be smoking.
During four days of raids in September, four individuals, ages 24 to 43, were found vaping. In Tampines and the Central Business District, a total of 27 vapes and their parts were confiscated.
These raids come after the government began enforcing harsher sanctions against vaping on September 1.
The fines for vape abusers have been raised from S$300 and S$500 to $500 for those under the age of 18 and S$700 for adults.
Kpod users will be required to undergo rehabilitation.
A six-month mandatory supervision period, including drug testing and rehabilitation, will be imposed on Kpod users who are caught a second time.
If someone is caught a third time or more, they will be placed in a drug rehabilitation facility to receive treatment. They also have to be monitored for a year and tested for drugs.
For a year, anyone under the age of sixteen must be supervised and tested for drugs.
The public can report vaping offenses online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape or by calling the Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684-2036 or 6684-2037, which is open daily from 9 am to 9 pm.
