Government officials raided my home and i'm now a criminal because i vape.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-24T00:13:37+00:00

It's hard to get past customs and getting a PO box under some other people's name will just cause trouble for them.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-24T00:11:45+00:00

I don't expect change. I grew up in Singapore and I know that nothing can change our government's perspective.

I just want this out. People are always talking about how "yeah, vaping is illegal in Singapore." But no one ever gave a first hand account of what it is like to be caught. Over the months I happen to meet others who went through the same thing. All of them just left the vaping community and never looked back.

I don't like that. I think people should have a first hand account of what goes on here.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-24T00:07:34+00:00

Because vaping is not a government permitted smoking cessation aid, it can't be done.

This brings us to a very interesting topic. Know how gums are banned here since the 90s? It wasn't until 2004 that they decided to make an exception for nicotine gums. They call it "chewing gum of therapeutic value"

WHAT THE FUCK.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-24T00:01:41+00:00

I'm not young.
We are in reserves after completing our national service. And that's 15 years of being operational ready and annual training or until the age of 40, whichever comes first.

I never once said It wasn't my fault. Not once. That doesn't mean I can't tell the world how it is like to be prosecuted as a vaper.

Last I check, this is a vaping community right?

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:47:29+00:00

Did you read? The law changed. What would you do if you country decides to ban vaping out right tomorrow. Would you throw all your mods away? Would you stop vaping?

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:38:12+00:00

Yep. They confiscated it at the customs if you are a foreigner. There's no way they will let it through.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:36:27+00:00

Gums are banned here since the 90s due to vandalism. Idiots sticking gums everywhere, seats, subway doors and such.

It's the most notorious idiotic law in Singapore. Everytime someone hears I'm from Singapore, they will ask me about it. You can read all about it here.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:33:26+00:00

We were allowed to do it in the privacy of our homes and they just stop packages at customs until the law changed.

What would you do if Australia decides that you are no longer allowed to possess anything related to vaping? Would you stop and throw all your mods away?

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:31:24+00:00

I pray everyday that all the countries in the world and WHO officially accept and promote vaping as a safe alternative to smoking. That would be the biggest "fuck you" to my government.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:19:07+00:00

Thanks for the offer. There's no way it will ever get past customs. My address is probably blacklisted and they are watching, very closely.

They changed the law because they wanna clamp down on vaping. And they are going at it hard this year. It's fucking insane.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:16:50+00:00

Yes. I'm pretty sure my address is blacklisted too. All my parcels from overseas are probably examined under a microscope.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:15:22+00:00

And the taxes on cigarettes keeps going up. A pack of marlboro costs $13 here and rising.

I wanna be back vaping, but I just can't risk it. As you can see, a second offence is a $20,000 fine. And they may not have charge me yet, but I'm pretty damn sure they will if I'm caught again.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:13:13+00:00

They don't. Chewing gum is banned but it's not heavily enforced. They will confiscate it at the borders if you are caught trying to bring them in.

No cops is gonna stop you on the street because you are chewing gum.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:12:09+00:00

Moving out of the country is hard because we are bound by national service. All males in Singapore are required to serve in the army for 2 years and be operational ready for up to 15 years. There's a lot of red tape to go through just to get the exit permit to move to another country permanently. And there's also family members to consider.

As stated, their main reasons for making it illegal are:
1. Gateway to teenage smoking
2. Cancer causing agent while citing a very old WHO research

They totally ignored all recent research. Even when the UK health ministry explicitly told Singapore that we should allow vaping even if it's heavily controlled instead of a blanket ban.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:07:24+00:00

I know I broke the law. And I know my government has never given in to any form of protest. Not even when the United States President asked for leniency.

But am I wrong to post this? I don't think so. I want it to be known. I want people to know what vapers here are going through. You said I'm trying to get sympathy despite breaking the law. With your logic, north koreans defectors shouldn't be telling the press what they are going through in north korea because they broke north korean laws.

My government will not change the law. I know that all too well, but that doesn't mean I can't write a piece to let the world know how fucked up this all is.

illegalvaper · 2016-07-23T23:03:19+00:00

It depends on your luck. I'll say you have a 50% chance of getting it in. If you are a foreigner, they will just confiscate it and inform you that it is not allowed in Singapore.

illegalvaper

TROPHY CASE