Will we ever get a shot at legalizing Vapes?

[Sigmazxcs]

Hey guys,

We all know that in our wretched little island, vapes are illegal. All of us here just wants to stay away from tobacco and hoping for a healthier alternative to get our nic fix isn't it?

Now, i'm making the transition to vapes but my packages got seized and detained at the Customs. I believe I'm not the only one. It feels as if our government rather monetize our addiction than to extend our lifespan. Sad, but true.

Do you think we'll ever get a shot at legalizing vapes? If so, how many years down the road? Let's have a discussion (if it's appropriate), I just want to know how the local vapers feel. And oh, has anything been done to try legalizing it?
(I do not advice flaming the government due to the sensitive nature, but I understand and fully agree with all the profanities you used silently)

 

[necronoth]

cant help but feel that the MIW have a more sinister reason for banning ecigs, (tax revenue). Its either that or they are just ignorant and would rather blanket ban then spend time to try and understand fully the pros and cons of ecigs.

Either way the future looks mighty bleak to me with regards to legalising ecigs.

 

[Sigmazxcs]

cant help but feel that the MIW have a more sinister reason for banning ecigs, (tax revenue). Its either that or they are just ignorant and would rather blanket ban then spend time to try and understand fully the pros and cons of ecigs.

Either way the future looks mighty bleak to me with regards to legalising ecigs.

They are not playing it dumb. I believe they're playing it dirty. Think about it, how much do they earn from cigarette taxes? What would happen to their pocket money if people start turning to vapes?

The MIW are not dumb, they are sly. Citing medical/health reasons is a smart move to brainwash the uneducated minority of non-vapers.

I really hope that someone inside would wash all their dirty linen in the public one day, and they get a taste of what betrayal is like. I feel betrayed by my own government. It's as if we are just cash cows.

 

[DragonSG]

High chance Gov will legalise Ecig just before next election even with tradeoffs of losing > $200M in tobacco taxes n usual gibberish pitfalls.

If They don't, might lose at least 100k votes due to deep-seated resentment.

If they do..they might gain more than double amount due to obvious no-brainer health n safety benefits among many others.

Gov aint stupid..decisions r mostly made based on Economic reasons linked to factors such as lower health costs n higher productivity. In UK, where SG based its entire legislation system on is already 100% legal, there's no reason why we can't.

When I quitted the toxic tobacco more than 3 mths ago..my gf already overjoyed til tearing.not just better intimate moments. .but total elimination of health n safety n safety hazards...lol..even the blind can see the benefits of vaping.

 

[Sigmazxcs]

High chance Gov will legalise Ecig just before next election even with tradeoffs of losing > $200M in tobacco taxes n usual gibberish pitfalls.

If They don't, might lose at least 100k votes due to deep-seated resentment.

If they do..they might gain more than double amount due to obvious no-brainer health n safety benefits among many others.

Gov aint stupid..decisions r mostly made based on Economic reasons linked to factors such as lower health costs n higher productivity. In UK, where SG based its entire legislation system on is already 100% legal, there's no reason why we can't.

When I quitted the toxic tobacco more than 3 mths ago..my gf already overjoyed til tearing.not just better intimate moments. .but total elimination of health n safety n safety hazards...lol..even the blind can see the benefits of vaping.

They better do! nonetheless, not gonna vote for them though. I rather scrap the vote than to vote for an obviously incompetent party.

 

[TheKiwi]

It will, but ONLY after a long time.

Last summer I got 200 USD worth of stuff confiscated at the customs when I came back from the US for summer break. It was only then did i find out that ecigs are banned [*removed]. After a buttload of correspondence with the tobacco department in _ _ _, they pretty much kept quoting 2 sources:

1) the world health organization does not recognise ecig as a legitimate way to quit cigarettes
2) the united states FDA also does not formally endorse the use of ecigs.

The way I see it, this is gonna be exactly how it is with all other policies. Our governmental agencies like to adopt a lazy blanket ban without really figuring out why. Then they wait on other countries' relevant agencies to make the decisions, and after a loooong while, follow suit.

I guess we can only be hopeful, but more important, pretty bloody patient.

 

[Schff]

I can't say if vaping will be ever be legalised, but I sure hope so.

Within every problem lies an opportunity. [*removed] could really innovate with respect to coming up with a tax structure for e-liquid, but it seems like they'd rather adopt the "traditional approach" - restrict and prosecute until the majority of sheeple see it as a social bad.

I understand that nicotine is unnecessary and would gladly pay my dues (within reason) for x ml of juice. Or if they're really concerned about public health, how about a blanket ban on any nicotine products for people born after 20XX. I'd definitely like that for my children.

A ban on vaping while cigarettes remain completely legal reeks of intertia and stupidity, however.

 

[Pinapple]

Even if its legal, most probably we'll only be allowed to get $150 ego sets as well as 50 dollar bottles of juices.

 

[..V..]

It could be the same as electric cars. We are slowly seeing some of them on the road now.

Change can come, unfortunately it will come slowly.

Politician need to make many businesses happy. Giving these people time to react. Which ultimately keeping the bulge in their pocket steady.

Unfortunately, the time given will only ensure that the Big Boys get a cut and most probably leaving the booming mom & pop internet vape vendors virtually extinct.

Monopoly

 

[Jarmun]

My initial response when I learn of the ban was cursing the 18 generations of ancestors of various MIW. Immediately I leapt to the greed rationale and blame their greed for taxes.

Then thinking back, it's probably like all other standards/systems we copy from other countries. For example when US adopts certain standards, our gahment will hide one corner and observe for a few years, if no one dies or nothing explodes, they will spend another few years to rename the entire system then call it their own.

So I guess it's not solely greed, but pure kiasi-ness and blardy inefficiency.

Then you got the big 4 mucking things up in western countries where they flex their financial and political clout. Without a clear lead from other countries, our overpaid clueless miw have no idea what to do.

It will be a long hard road to getting it here, I think.

 

[Domtine]

Dudes & Dudettes... its not the tobacco tax that will hurt MIW. S$900+mil in FY12/13 is only less than 2% of total gov revenue. The fallout is from pharma and biotech companies leaving Singapore.

Dont forget MIW keeps marketing SG as biotech research hub. The cold hard truth is cigarettes keep people sick and when people are sick they need medicine and many medicines are not meant to cure the disease. They just keep it in check, not allowing the disease to spread. It also means less patients for our hospitals in out world class hospitals.

Every time some researcher discover a ground breaking form of drug that shows promise in animal tests, that research disappears almost immediately from the face of this earth. Or in the best case, get rejected by FDA after 5-10 years of clinical trial.

Parma companies need to make money and selling drugs is one of the best ways to do so.

 

[vantage07]

Seeing bros here alike me having their stuffs detained by custom on a rising frequency lately, something must be brewing.. these miw are certainly no pioneer in world stage coming to implementation of standards, thus in no way i foresee any changes to make our lives easier in short term..

monkey see monkey do, take that as a common approach on such touchy issue for the miw. But even when the day has come, utmost important function of their brain juice will be "wasted" on formulating taxation system to ensure ecig wouldn't jeopardize their fat bonus. This long bumpy road we are taking is really gonna test our resolve and thinning wallet. damn.. shall persist with determination but i've lost all hope for the incompetent atas-ists.

 

[Jarmun]

Good point by Domtine on the pharma side of things.

So many lobbyists claim there's unknown health risks, but how difficult is it to analyse the vapor emitted and break it down into detailed list of chemical substances? I'm pretty certain even our useless Hisham can do it, not to mention the big pharma labs.

 

[ridermaut99]

Its all about the money! ban ecigs, put more taxes on tobacco, more smokers, more money,and when smokers get sick and get cancer, more money to the drugs and healthcare economy...

 

[DragonSG]

LOL... not to worry...as long as SG don't become a hardcore Islamic country like Saudi Arabia..and remain cosmopolitan with a globalised economy..there's no way to stop the tide...

For just a few months in UK, vapers has grown by > 300K to 1.3M as at July 2013, now could already be much more:
E-cigarette pubs vaping

And moreover with so many US/UK high-flying expatriates working in SG.and sure many of them are already vapers...mingling with our government officials..let them do the high level work of convincing..


cuz sooner or later..not surprising to see some ministers vaping their favorite juice..

 

[Jarmun]

...

cuz sooner or later..not surprising to see some ministers vaping their favorite juice..

Got money-flavored ejuice meh?

 

[ridermaut99]

Got money-flavored ejuice meh?

haha! that''s a good one!

 

[..V..]

Got money-flavored ejuice meh?

It'll taste like Hangsen Gold & Silver ejuice.

 

[DragonSG]

It'll taste like Hangsen Gold & Silver ejuice.

View attachment 282883

LMAO..cant believe such ejuice exist..how's the flavour like.. the version vaped by ministers will contain silver n gold flakes..LOL.

 

[Jarmun]

Gold and Silver is actually used in place of Benson and Hedges iirc, as they cannot use other ppl's trademarks in naming their flavors.

But yea, that sounds something the miws will like, i suppose.