SINGAPORE: Legislators, social service providers, kids and even students in Singapore have extremely raised concerns over the use of vaping products to take illegal drugs.  ,
This year alone, the issue has been brought up in legislature on numerous occasions.  ,
Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza questioned what was being done last Tuesday ( 18 February ) to address the “emerging trend” of drug traffickers concealing controlled substances in vapes, particularly at Singapore’s checkpoints.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam stated in a written response that officials were working strongly on punishment, pre-arrival testing, and recognition. He added that these incidents are still in the minority among all medication seizures.
Mr de Souza’s issue came on the neck of MP Wan Rizal asking, earlier in the month, about support for children found using drug-laced cigarettes, which may include substances , such as etomidate and morphine.  ,
Ketone is a managed drug while etomidate is a poison-class morphine agent.
In January, many another MPs also raised concerns about the government’s analysis of the danger of vapes being used as a drug smuggling machine and whether the MHA, the , would consider clading these vapes and their related paraphernalia under the same legal platform as the drugs themselves.
The Health Sciences Authority ( HSA ) and the Central Narcotics Bureau ( CNB) have encountered” some” of these cases, according to Singapore’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. These incidents constitute the only form of vaping activity in Singapore.
HSA regulates vaping, while CNB, which is under the control of MHA, is the main drug enforcement force.
At the start of the year, authorities found several “Kpods”– vape juice mixed with etomidate- among a seizure of over 8, 700 vapes and components.
During a raid, 65 vapes seized in April 2024 that were thought to have the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis were also taken.  ,
A CNB spokesperson responded to CNA’s questions by saying there have been” sporadic cases” where controlled substances have been consumed.
Regardless of the method by which it was ingested, those whose urine is found to be positive for controlled drugs will be subject to an investigation under the Misuse of Drugs Act ( MDA ).
” The possession of any apparatus or article, including vapes, for the consumption of controlled drugs, is an offence under section 9 of the MDA”, the CNB spokesperson reiterated.