It's Time Vaping Offenses Had Tougher Consequences

At the National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong made a vital and decisive move in declaring vaping a drug issue.

- Ben Chester Cheong

The scale of Singapore's vaping crisis has become starkly clear in recent months.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, more than 17,900 people were caught for possession, while $41 million in devices seized exceeded five times the value of all confiscations from 2019 to 2023.

In the most recent revelations, one-third of more than 100 randomly tested vapes contained etomidate. Etomidate is a powerful anesthetic used in hospitals to render patients unconscious for surgery. Inhaled through vape devices, it can trigger sudden collapse, respiratory depression, or even death.

Vaping has evolved from a tobacco substitute into a sophisticated drug delivery system. This reality demands stronger consequences within Singapore's established legal pathways.

As the authorities work towards listing etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his National Day Rally speech, made a strong commitment to treat vaping as a "drug issue" with stiffer penalties.

This marks a necessary and decisive shift to confront this new and evolving threat.

SINGAPORE'S PROVEN APPROACH

Singapore's current drug rehabilitation system represents global best practice, with recidivism rates declining from 73 per cent in 1993 to 30.8 per cent in 2022.

When someone is caught abusing drugs in Singapore, they do not automatically go to jail. Instead, the Government has four different ways to handle offenders depending on how serious the case is.

For first-time users who seem unlikely to reoffend, the Enhanced Direct Supervision Order lets them stay at home while attending counseling sessions and taking regular drug tests.