S'pore to take tougher action against vaping & treat it like a 'drug issue'

The Singapore government will be taking much tougher actions against vaping, mounting a robust whole-of-government exercise led by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Health (MOH).

In his 2025 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared that the government has been treating the use of e-vaporisers (vapes) like tobacco, where, at most, a fine is imposed.

However, PM Wong said that it was no longer enough, and vaping will be treated as a "drug issue" with stiffer penalties.

"This means jail sentences and more severe punishments for those who sell vapes with harmful substances," said PM Wong.

For those addicted to vaping, supervision and rehabilitation will be provided to help them quit.

The government will also step up nationwide enforcement and will mount a "major public education drive".

This would start in schools, Institutes of Higher Learning, and during National Service.

The MHA and the MOH will lead the efforts, but it will be "a robust whole-of-government exercise".

The ministries will share more details soon.

Spotlight

The issue of vapes with harmful substances, especially etomidate-laced e-vaporisers (Kpods), has been in the news in recent weeks.

In July 2025, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said MOH will be working with MHA to list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, Ong said that offenders will be treated "not differently" from those who consume drugs like cannabis or cocaine.

This means that those found with vapes laced with etomidate will be subject to supervision and undergo mandatory rehabilitation. Repeated offenders will be prosecuted, and this means facing jail terms.

To encourage vape users to surrender their devices, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) launched the "Bin the Vape" initiative.

Those who wish to dispose of their e-vaporisers can do so at one of the red disposal bins located at 23 designated community centres around Singapore.

A CCTV camera is placed towards the bin to deter theft and tampering, and the bin is locked and secured so that vapes cannot be retrieved once disposed of.

HSA also assured members of the public that they will not be tracing the identities of any persons who had disposed of their e-vaporisers.

A man in Yishun has also become the first in Singapore to be convicted of manufacturing Kpods.

Mohammed Akil Abdul Rahim, 41, pleaded guilty on Aug. 13 to three different charges, including the possession of 26.4g of etomidate powder, 100 e-vaporiser pods and 2688 pod components for sale.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the 100 Kpods were meant to be delivered to a customer in a parcel, but Akil was caught after a Lalamove deliveryman who had picked up the parcel went to the police when he found vape pods in it.

HSA authorities then raided the home in Yishun, which Akil shared with his mother, and found a stash of pod components, casings and covers, as well as Akil's e-vapes and pods.

A bag of white powder, confirmed to be 26.4g of powdered etomidate, along with syringes and a miniature weighing scale to weigh the powder, were also found.

HSA noted that the amount of powder found is enough to fill about 72 pods.

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Top photos via Canva & PMO/YouTube