Why a calming drug in illegal vapes is raising alarm in Singapore

Health officials say the substance, etomidate, which causes users to feel calm or sedated, has been turning up in a rising number of vaping products and could pose a serious public health threat.

The sedative, normally used by doctors to put patients to sleep before surgery, is now being misused in vapes known locally as “K-pods.”

These vapes are illegal in Singapore, but they continue to circulate on the black market, especially among young people.

Authorities recently tested more than 100 of these devices and found the drug in about one in three.

It is fast-acting and, in a hospital setting, can safely lower consciousness for short periods, but when used without supervision, it can cause panic, confusion, unconsciousness, and addiction.

Doctors say repeated use can also shut down the body’s stress system by affecting the adrenal glands. This makes it harder for the body to respond to emergencies or even basic stress.

“It can shut down your adrenal glands, which are critical for producing certain stress hormones like cortisol. This suppression can last for a few days and leave your body unable to handle stress,” Dr Lee Chuen Peng, a lung specialist, was quoted as saying.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that the sedative will soon be listed under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act.

This means that anyone caught with the drug will face the same punishments as those caught with substances like heroin or cannabis.

First-time users may be sent to drug rehabilitation centres. Repeat offenders could be jailed or fined heavily.

The move follows similar bans in China and Hong Kong, where the drug has also appeared in black-market vape products.

Singapore already has strict laws against e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

But the new step is aimed at keeping dangerous drugs out of circulation and stopping a growing trend of young people using vapes for more than just nicotine.