MHA to support HSA’s crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will second its officers to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to tackle the scourge of etomidate-laced vaporisers, also known as Kpods.

On July 30, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said this comes after a request for assistance from the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an SGSecure event, Mr Shanmugam said officers from his ministry will assist HSA with enforcement efforts, including the supervision, treatment and rehabilitation of etomidate abusers.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said: “The cases you hear about are distressing. The abusers of etomidate lose control of themselves, they put themselves in dangerous positions. They become vulnerable. They become zombies.”

He said that as an interim measure, MHA will list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), while his ministry continues to support MOH as it decides on further legislative actions to take against Kpod offenders.

This comes after Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on July 20 that MOH and MHA were working together to list etomidate under the MDA. Mr Ong had said the interim measure will be enacted in the coming weeks.

Etomidate is classified as a poison and regulated under the Poisons Act. It has clinical use as an anaesthetic agent, and is permitted only in clinical settings and subject to strict conditions.

Under this law, abusers face only a fine. Sellers face possible jail time of up to two years.

If etomidate is listed as a Class C drug, users can be subjected to supervision and mandatory participation in a rehabilitation programme or committed to drug rehabilitation centres, like what drug abusers undergo.

Those who reoffend or commit other serious offences can also be jailed for at least a year.

Mr Shanmugam drew parallels between etomidate abuse and drug abuse, pointing to a report in The Sunday Times on July 27 of a mother lamenting her son’s addiction to Kpods.

Mr Shanmugam said: “She feels helpless and feels there is no way for her to help her son. Now, this is the damage that vapes laced with etomidate have done within just a short period. This is not just one story. There are many such instances.

“For drugs, the consequences if we take a light approach will be multiplied several fold compared with what you are seeing with etomidate.”

Mr Shanmugam said that many ambassadors, foreign ministers and activist groups have told him that Singapore’s drug laws are harsh and that the Republic’s approach is wrong.

Tough measures

But he defended Singapore’s tough stance.

He said: “Whose streets are safer? Where do parents feel that they can bring up their children in safety? So I tell them, look, you look after yourselves. We (will) look after Singaporeans, and Singaporeans support our policies.”

Mr Shanmugam said enforcement and awareness efforts surrounding Kpods may be similar to how MHA deals with hard drugs, adding that such efforts could start in schools and with parents, as vape users are starting the habit at a younger age.

He said: “Our public education on drugs also starts very young and this is something we will have to discuss with MOH, and MOH will have to decide how they want to bring it across and how they want to do the public education for young children.”

Several teachers recently told ST how schools were grappling with vapes, with offenders starting the habit in primary schools.

Both ministries had told ST on July 12 that they were considering enhancing laws around vaping, to tackle the scourge.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, HSA had seized more than $41 million worth of vapes and their components.

On July 20, Mr Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, had said Kpods made up a third of more than 100 randomly tested seized vapes.

He said several deaths here, including from traffic accidents and unnatural deaths, have been linked to etomidate.

On July 25, HSA said two people involved in a fatal road accident in Punggol Road tested positive for etomidate in their blood samples. The pair were in a car that collided with a bus at about 2.50pm on May 13.

They had 42 e-vaporisers and more than 1,200 pods in the vehicle, with some containing etomidate.

The 30-year-old male driver is assisting with investigations. His passenger, a 28-year-old woman, died in hospital.

The authorities have recently increased efforts to tackle the vaping crisis.

On July 9, MOH and HSA issued a circular to public healthcare institutions, telling them to record all suspected and confirmed etomidate-linked vaping cases and to get patients to surrender their vapes.

On July 16, HSA said it had taken down more than 600 Telegram groups advertising or selling vapes and Kpods to Singaporeans since April 2024.

And on July 25, the Bin The Vape initiative was launched. Vape disposal bins were installed at 23 community clubs and one residents’ network centre, where users can throw away the devices without fear of punishment.

To report vaping-related offences, call the HSA reporting hotline on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, including on public holidays.

The public can do so online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape

If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at [email protected]

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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