It’s surprising—and a bit frightening—to stumble across the same old anti-vaping arguments in a press release from the Singaporean Ministry of Health from July 2013. Over a decade later, we still hear identical claims, despite extensive research showing vaping to be less harmful than smoking and effective as a smoking cessation tool. Here’s a look at some outdated arguments that refuse to go away:

In 2013, the Ministry stated, “We remain cautious as there is no conclusive scientific evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit tobacco use.” Sound familiar? Unfortunately, Singapore’s Ministry of Health still makes this claim today, asserting that “smokers who used vapes to help them quit cigarettes were less likely to succeed than those using pharmaceutical aids or no product at all.” It’s astonishing that ten years of research, including studies demonstrating vaping’s effectiveness, seem to have made no impact.

Here are some recent findings:

• Aycock et al. (2023) found that people who use vaping specifically to quit smoking have higher one-year abstinence rates compared to those using it for other reasons.
• Hajek et al. (2019) concluded that vaping is twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) for smoking cessation.

And there’s more. Back in 2013, Singapore warned that “E-cigarettes could potentially be a gateway to developing a smoking habit, particularly among the young.” 

Yet a decade later, studies consistently show that vaping does not serve as a gateway to smoking. For example:

• Lee, Coombs et Afolalu (2018) reviewed fifteen studies, finding no evidence of a “gateway effect” and highlighting other factors like anxiety and parental smoking habits as key influences on youth behavior.
• Meza, Jiménez-Mendoza & Levy (2020) revealed that youth smoking rates have dropped even as vaping has increased, with adolescent smoking reaching historic lows in the US.

Despite all of this, Singapore still claims that “youth who use vapes are more likely to progress to conventional cigarettes.” 

At this point, it’s fair to question if this is willful ignorance. With a decade of research showing the benefits of vaping as a safer alternative and effective cessation tool, it’s high time that policies reflect reality, not outdated fears. And perhaps while they’re at it, Singapore can also reconsider its ban on chewing gum.

If you are interested in actual vaping and harm-reduction facts, check out our fact sheet: https://worldvapersalliance.com/harm-reduction-vaping-fact-sheet/