HSA removes over 600 Telegram groups selling, advertising vapes
Nadine Chua for The Straits Times
More than 600 Telegram groups advertising or selling vapes and Kpods to Singaporeans have been taken down by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
The agency said on July 16 that these channels promoting vapes have been removed since April 2024.
This is the first time HSA is releasing figures on the number of Telegram groups being taken down for selling vapes.
In May 2025, HSA and the Ministry of Health said in a statement that more than 6,800 online listings of vapes and their related components were removed from e-commerce and social media platforms from January 2024 to March 2025.
The figure is more than double the 3,100 listings removed in 2023.
Those platforms included Facebook, Instagram and Carousell, but not Telegram.
On July 16, HSA said its Tobacco Regulation Branch has been actively monitoring and enforcing the ban on advertisements and sales of vapes, both offline and online.
The agency said that using automated tools, it actively tracks online listings, social media posts and messaging platforms to detect and remove illegal advertisements and posts.
Its spokesman said: "HSA has also intensified operations against both physical and online distribution networks, strengthened border controls with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and increased enforcement presence in public spaces where vaping is prevalent."
Checks by The Straits Times on July 16 showed that at least 12 Telegram channels previously selling and promoting vapes are no longer active.
When clicked on, an alert read: "Not available. This group can't be displayed because it violated local laws (Singapore)."
However, there were at least 10 channels still selling vapes and Kpods on Telegram. One channel had more than 27,000 members, while another had over 23,000.
On one channel, around eight messages would be sent every minute to its members, listing the flavours available and the prices.
When ST launched its anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis, on July 13, several Telegram channels selling vapes became significantly less active. Others, however, continued with a flurry of texts in a bid to attract buyers.
In reply to ST's queries, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) said 116,800 participants joined its I Quit programme, designed to help people quit smoking and vaping, from May 2014 to December 2024.
HPB said the programme does not keep track of which participants are smokers or vape users.
From January 2024 to March 2025, close to 1,800 young people received vaping and smoking cessation counselling.
HPB added that during the same period, almost 118,500 students from schools and institutes of higher learning were involved in activities aimed at raising awareness about the harms of vaping.
Citing the World Health Organisation, HPB said vapes are harmful to one's health, warning that they are not safer alternatives to regular cigarettes.
It said studies have shown that vaping is associated with increased risk of developing heart and lung diseases and poses significant threat to brain health, especially in younger users as their brains are still developing.
HPB added: "The presence of etomidate found in e-vaporiser pods seized by the authorities reinforces our concerns about the dangers of vaping and the potential presence of other harmful substances in vape pods, which vape abusers may unknowingly be exposed to."
Used in hospitals for inducing sedation during medical procedures, etomidate is designed to be injected directly into the veins under clinical supervision and never intended to be inhaled.
When vaped, etomidate enters the lungs directly, potentially triggering spasms, breathing difficulties, seizures and even psychosis.
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg
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