Etomidate temporarily listed under Misuse of Drugs Act as situation was urgent: Faishal

The Government decided to temporarily list etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) as the situation involving it was deemed urgent.

- Andrew Wong

The move is not permanent, as more research on the harm and addictiveness of the substance needs to be done, due to the heavy penalties imposed under the MDA.

But listing it under the MDA was needed to strengthen current legislation to deal with vapes, including those that contained harmful substances like etomidate, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said in Parliament on Sept 26.

Singapore is in the midst of battling a scourge involving vapes laced with etomidate, also known as Kpods.

The situation was considered so dire that the Government on Aug 28 announced tougher penalties to deal with those who abuse and traffic etomidate.

In Parliament, Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC) asked why etomidate was classified as a Class C drug for only six months, from Sept 1, 2025, to Feb 28, 2026. It had previously been classified under the Poisons Act.