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No, Singapore’s vape ban didn’t cause the etomidate crisis
Regulating in lieu of banning vapes wouldn’t have kept Singapore safe.
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Long-term harms are only beginning to emerge, but already show links to chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Teo Yik Ying
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Singapore is confronting what has been dubbed an “etomidate crisis”.
In recent months, enforcement agencies have seized thousands of illicit vapes adulterated with etomidate. Laboratory tests found that roughly one in three confiscated vapes contained the drug, prompting the authorities to classify it as a controlled substance and impose severe penalties on traffickers.
