Vaping, Kpods and teenage risk-taking: An old problem in a new world

When a grieving father in Singapore

recently shared how he lost his 19-year-old daughter to Kpod addiction,

it struck a chord. His grief was raw, his words honest. His decision to speak out was not merely an act of remembrance. It was a warning to all of us.

He is far from alone. Increasing numbers of teenagers here are turning to vaping and, more worryingly, to vape pods laced with sedatives such as ketamine or etomidate, known as Kpods. These devices look sleek, smell fruity and are easy to hide, but the harm they cause can be permanent.