Groups Exempted from Caning for Vaping-related Trafficking Offences

58 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs in respect of the introduction of caning for vaping-related trafficking offences (a) whether there are any demographic groups, such as juveniles, women or elderly persons, who will be legally exempt from caning under this regime; and (b) what is the Ministry's risk assessment that criminal syndicates will exploit such exempt groups for recruitment as mules.

Mr K Shanmugam: Caning is applicable for the trafficking of controlled drugs listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act, regardless of how the drug is trafficked. Importation or sale of e-vaporisers does not attract caning if there is no controlled drug involved.

Under section 325 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), men who are more than 50 years of age and women are exempted from caning. Juveniles who are sentenced to imprisonment are liable for caning, subject to specific provisions in the CPC.

Criminal syndicates will indeed exploit anyone willing to further their criminal enterprise. For offenders who are exempt from caning, the CPC empowers the Courts to impose an additional imprisonment term of up to 12 months to ensure that the overall sentence is still sufficiently punitive and deterrent.