At Singapore’s Woodlands Checkpoint, the country’s busiest land border with Malaysia, customs officers remain on constant alert as streams of vehicles inch forward under close scrutiny. On one such day, customs officer Belinda Liaw and her team motioned a white Toyota van to the side, swiftly surrounding it to check for concealed compartments, question the driver and search personal belongings and mobile phones. The target of the operation was not conventional contraband but electronic cigarettes, or vapes, which Singapore has outlawed since 2018 and now treats as a growing public safety and drug threat.
The city-state’s renewed urgency stems from the rise of drug-laced vapes, commonly known on the street as K-pods. These devices are often infused with etomidate, a powerful anaesthetic that can cause disorientation and loss of consciousness. Their spread has rattled Singapore, a country known globally for its strict anti-drug regime, severe penalties and zero-tolerance stance. Authorities fear that vapes have become an efficient delivery mechanism for illicit substances, particularly among young users.
While the van at Woodlands was ultimately cleared, Liaw said smugglers frequently conceal vapes in increasingly inventive ways. Officers have uncovered thousands of devices hidden inside air-conditioning units, cartons of electrical switches and even trays of bread in delivery vans. More recently, smugglers have shifted to transporting smaller quantities scattered throughout vehicles, prompting more exhaustive inspections that include knocking on chassis panels and using X-ray scanners on larger vehicles.
Singapore initially banned vaping as a precautionary measure, citing insufficient evidence on long-term health effects. Despite the ban, an underground market flourished online, with users easily accessing supplies through chat apps and forums. The situation escalated sharply with the emergence of K-pods, particularly after videos circulated on social media showing young people collapsing or behaving erratically in public spaces. Random testing of seized vapes last year revealed that about one-third contained etomidate, shocking the public and triggering swift government action.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong subsequently declared vaping a drug issue, warning that while etomidate is the current concern, future substances could be even more dangerous. Since then, Singapore has rolled out some of the toughest anti-vaping measures globally. Individuals caught possessing vapes now face hefty fines, jail terms or mandatory rehabilitation, while sellers risk up to 20 years in prison and corporal punishment. Similar penalties apply to foreigners, who may also be deported. Schools have been instructed to take strict disciplinary action against students found vaping.
Alongside enforcement, the government has launched an extensive public health campaign, with advertisements across the island and online platforms portraying vaping as a serious and sometimes fatal threat. These campaigns reference popular films and television shows to resonate with younger audiences, while highlighting real-life cases linked to drug-laced vapes. Authorities have also installed disposal bins for vapes, intensified patrols at transport hubs and opened a public hotline, which has already received thousands of reports.
Officials say the crackdown is yielding results, noting a decline in the proportion of drug-laced vapes seized. Public opposition remains limited, reflecting long-standing support for strict drug laws, though some users argue the ban is excessive and unfair to adults who used non-drug vapes. Critics also question whether the original ban inadvertently fuelled the black market.
Despite these debates, Singapore maintains that decisive action is necessary to prevent vaping from becoming entrenched like cigarette smoking. While other countries pursue regulation rather than prohibition, Singapore’s leadership argues that an outright ban best protects public health, even as it acknowledges that sustaining such an extensive enforcement effort will remain a long-term challenge.
