POV: I'm an ex-vaper who recently quit. Here's what I think about the govt crackdown.

Once primarily used to deliver nicotine, vapes have been increasingly linked to something more dangerous. 

One out of every three vapes seized today contain etomidate, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. A controlled substance with anaesthetic properties, etomidate can cause hallucinations or "zombie-like" behaviour. 

Vapes have long been illegal in Singapore, if regarded more as cigarette alternatives. But perceptions have changed, and the government has in turn promised a crackdown. 

On Jul. 20, the Ministry of Health said it would work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to list etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This means that offenders would be subject to Singapore's famously stringent drug laws, such as with cannabis or cocaine.

The "Bin the Vape" campaign soon followed, as well as multiple warnings to vapers to quit "before the law catches up with them". 

We spoke to an ex-vaper to find out what he thinks about all this. 

As told to Lee Wei Lin and Ilyda Chua

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Aaron. I'm 39 and a businessman.

When did you start smoking?

I started smoking cigarettes at 16.

In August 2024, I picked up vaping. Unlike with cigarettes, it was less smelly and more accessible as I didn't need to find a smoking area.

It also didn't have that residual smell that would stick to my clothes and hair.

Before the crackdown, what was your perception of vapes?

Vaping is more common than you’d think. It's quite straightforward to get vapes. You can just order it and get it within the day.

It's also very accessible. There are a lot of flavours, and it's cheap because there's no tobacco tax. It can be as cheap as S$6 for a disposable vape.

So people like to experiment with them.

[The government's decision to ban vapes] is quite a serious approach, but understandably so.

Vapes are more harmful and addictive than most people think. Sellers also don't check your age, unlike when buying cigarettes where the shopkeeper is obliged to check before selling.

I don’t think [the recent crackdown] was sudden. It's something that probably should’ve been done a long time ago.

What made you decide to quit? What was it like?

I read the news on the government's recent crackdown.

I thought it'd be easy to quit, but found myself wanting to reach out to my supplier multiple times.

For about a week I felt a weird buzzing in my head. Every time I felt like I wanted to vape, I’d eat a mint or snack on something.

One thing I noticed is that I started smoking a lot more.

I used to smoke one pack every three days. But after quitting vapes, it increased to a pack a day for that first week.

I kept thinking about [vaping]. I felt extremely uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do.

What do you think of the recent "Bin the Vape" campaign?

There's really no point. Because why would we risk potential identification?

There’s no upside to it and it was easier for me to throw whatever leftover vapes I had down the rubbish chute.

In the past, vapes were banned but enforcement was less tight. What do you think of the recent crackdown?

I do understand the implications of the government's crackdown and why they're doing this.

At the same time, the government should also distinguish between Kpod enforcement and vapes.

I agree that vapes have an undetermined negative effect on health. But they shouldn’t be seen the same way as Kpods.

Kpods are the ones which are causing the bulk of the problem. They’ve been around for years, but more recently there have been more “home-based” vendors trying to make a quick buck.

They have no idea what they're doing and the things they use in their Kpods make it even more harmful.

In fact I think those people who manufacture these Kpods would never actually use their own products.

In my opinion, Kpod users should be seen as drug addicts instead.

Top image from Canva