Vaping gathers steam among Singaporeans across the Causeway

Vape smoking seems to be gathering steam among Singaporeans who are getting their fix in Malaysia to get around the import ban on such products.

Singapore bans the import of imitation tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes such as vape. In Malaysia, the government is considering whether to ban vape smoking.

Demand for the tobacco-less products in Malaysia has surged in recent years, with the industry now worth an estimated half-a-billion ringgit ($100 million).

Vape is a kind of electronic cigarette that typically comes in a box-like battery powered device, with a tube of liquid attached to it. This liquid, commonly referred to as juice, usually contains a combination of a nicotine solution and a flavouring solution. A typical flavouring solution is made of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin - the former gives a sweeter taste with fewer vapors, while the latter gives a less sweet taste with more vapor.

In Johor Bahru alone, there are more than 20 vape stores. Many customers flock to vape stores located at a night market called “Pasar Karat” at Jalan Segget, which is a 10-minute drive from the Johor Causeway.

Yahoo Singapore recently spoke to some of the owners and staff from several vape stores in JB to find out about their Singaporean customers. Singaporeans spend about RM200 (SGD65) each per visit, they said.

At Southern Vape 75, the owner of the store said Singaporeans make up roughly 60 per cent of her customers. Speaking in Malay, Raha Mohammed Noor said the Singaporean customers are mostly novices in vape smoking, who would usually buy starter kits. The more popular vape brands are the IPV4 Box Mode and SmokTech.

The 33-year-old, who previously sold tech and gadget accessories at a stall at the night market, started bringing in vape products in 2012.

“They (vape products) came out at the same time when cigarette prices were increasing. When we first started selling, we received a good response,”

Sales later slowed down at the end of 2013 as most of the flavours that she imported were from China and they were not as popular as the locally made ones, said Raha.

Like the other vape vendors, she no longer gets her supplies from China. Instead, she sells locally made “juices”, which come in hundreds of flavours .

Sales rebounded in 2014 due to the arrival of more appealing vape designs, Raha said.

“It (the trend) caught on with the curious youngsters who wanted to know more about the new products. From there, we as sellers started to bring in the products bit by bit before we opened a vape shop,” she said.

Mohammed Danyal bin Jokhairul Riduan, who works at another store Toyol Vape, said Singaporeans prefer bandung and mango lassi flavours for their vape, as well as premium ones from the US.

The 18-year-old said demand can be sustained due to the steady stream of new flavours to pique customers’ interest and the perception that vape smoking is a way to cut down on cigarette smoking or quit the habit.

But the jury is still out as to whether vapes can aid smokers in cutting down their tobacco intake.

In a media reply, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said, "Ends (Electronic nicotine delivery systems) are often marketed as smoking-cessation products, there is very limited and inconclusive evidence that they work as a method for quitting tobacco smoking."

Research conducted by UK Public Health showed that vape smoking is 95 per cent safer than tobacco smoking.

While propylene glycol is considered as “a known irritant when inhaled or ingested” by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board, it is regarded as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and can be used in foods. Vegetable glycerin, also known as glycerol, is commercially used as a sugar substitute.

Under Singapore’s Tobacco Act, “no person shall import, distribute, sell or offer for sale any confectionery or other food product or any toy or other article that is designed to resemble a tobacco product or the packaging of which is designed to resemble the packaging commonly associated with tobacco products.”

A person who is convicted faces a maximum fine of $5,000 for first offence and $10,000 for subsequent offences.

From January to September 2015, there were 4850 cases involving vaporisers seized from individuals entering Singapore’s checkpoints and parcels from online orders, a HSA spokesperson told Yahoo Singapore.

The restrictions on vape in Singapore will soon be extended - a ban on the use of such products will be in effect starting 15 December.