More than half of vapers, 8 in 10 etomidate abusers are under 30: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE – Young people form the bulk of those caught up in the vaping scourge, with figures showing that more than 80 per cent of etomidate abusers and over half of those caught vaping are under the age of 30.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed these figures on Aug 28 at a press conference to outline the various measures the Government is taking to tackle vaping.

The landscape has changed, he said, noting that in the past, smoking and substance abuse were treated as two separate issues that affected two different groups of people.

E-vaporisers have since become a delivery device, he said.

“The two behaviours become mixed up, and vapes become a gateway for very serious substance abuse. So we’re facing a very different situation now.”

Mr Ong said many people, especially the young, had picked up vaping because they believed it was not as harmful as smoking cigarettes.

“And then out of curiosity, out of coercion, or out of just ignorance, they wander into substance abuse, which is what we are seeing now for etomidates,” he said.

Mr Ong said the current approach to tackling substance abuse has to shift as a result of this changing landscape, to a whole-of-government effort.

The measures include

listing etomidate and several of its variants as a Class C drug

under the Misuse of Drugs Act from Sept 1, which will allow the authorities to require abusers of the substance and repeat vaping offenders to attend rehabilitation.

This also allows for a “rapid escalation” of penalties against etomidate abusers, Mr Ong said.

“Our observation is that a large number are young people, curious, ignorant, whatever it is, they wandered into this. And I think we should try a method where we give them a chance,” said Mr Ong.

Those caught abusing etomidate for the first time

will be fined, and must attend rehabilitation

for up to six months. Mr Ong said this will allow them to “turn over a new leaf”.

Second-time offenders will be arrested and investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau. They will have to undergo mandatory supervision for up to six months, which includes drug testing and rehabilitation.

Abusers aged 16 and older who are caught for the third time or more will be sent to a drug rehabilitation centre for treatment.

The rehabilitation requirement for first-time offenders “represents a second chance that the Government is giving the offenders”, said Mr Ong.

He was joined at the press conference by Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, Education Minister Desmond Lee, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Dinesh Vasu Dash and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua.

Asked why the Government is taking these anti-vaping measures now, Mr Shanmugam said the authorities recognise that it is a growing problem.

“We don’t want to wait until it goes out of control, so we move in early,” he said. “The media has also been very helpful. You highlighted the situation, ST in particular. And so it brings forth in public consciousness the nature and the potential extent of the problem.”

On whether more action should have been taken sooner, Mr Ong replied: “You’re talking to the minister here who wished we can do this even earlier. But having said that, I think we have done it as fast as we could.”

The situation today would be far worse had Singapore not enacted an outright ban on vaping in 2018, he said. He acknowledged, however, that enforcement efforts since then have become a “cat-and-mouse” game.

“I have been exchanging notes about vapes and etomidate vapes with my counterparts in the region. Several did not ban vapes from the outset and today, with etomidate vapes, they find that they are in a very difficult position,” said Mr Ong.

He added that the Government had been working on a response since the emergence of etomidate abuse, but that coming to a solution was complex as there was no “fit-for-purpose” legislation.

“So we’re using existing legislation, (with) what each agency is empowered to do, and then stitch our protocols together into the enforcement framework that we are presenting today,” Mr Ong said.

“As much as I wish we could have done this earlier, I think we have done our best to do it as fast as we can.”

The interim measures announced on Aug 28 will cease by Feb 28, 2026.

Mr Ong said during these six months, his ministry will fine-tune and make sure the enhanced framework against vaping is effective, before proposing new laws.