Hanoi (VNA) - Singapore will take a harder stance against drug-laced vapes from September as it changes the classification of anesthetic agent etomidate from a poison to a drug, the Singaporean government announced on August 28.
Accordingly, users of vapes laced with the substance will face a fine and mandatory rehabilitation of up to six months instead of just a fine, while importers of etomidate face up to 15 strokes of the cane and a maximum of 20 years in jail, up from a maximum of two years' jail.
Vapes are "becoming delivery vehicles for harmful substances such as etomidate," said the health and home affairs ministries in a joint statement.
The statement said etomidate poses serious harm to users, including adverse effects on the brain, adding that its use has been linked with cases of unnatural deaths, including a fatal accident.
The government said random testing of confiscated vapes in July found that one in three contained etomidate.
Vaping has been banned in Singapore since 2018 but authorities have not clamped down hard on the devices until recently, citing the emergence of drug-laced vapes.
Etomidate, also known as "space oil" in Hong Kong (China), was listed as a dangerous drug in Hong Kong and China as of February this year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in a report published in May./.
Singapore retains top spot as Asia’s most peaceful nation
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which compiles the index, noted that Singapore ranked particularly high in terms of safety and security.
