Transcript of Doorstop Interview on Etomidate-Laced E-vaporisers by Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs

Question: Minister, would you be able to comment on the recent cases of etomidate-laced vapes?

Minister: You know, the cases that you hear about are distressing. The abusers of etomidate - they lose control of themselves, they put themselves in dangerous positions, they become vulnerable, they become zombies. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has explained how etomidate can be very harmful when taken through vapes.

Many of the abusers are young people – they have bright futures ahead of them, and they risk throwing it away, affecting their futures, by abusing etomidate. MOH has been handling this, they are studying the situation. They are deciding on what actions to take. And I have asked the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to support MOH and help them. In the interim, MHA is going to list etomidate as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA).

This, as I said, is an interim measure. Meanwhile, MOH is looking at what new legislation is possible to deal with etomidate and other similar substances.

Now, what does listing etomidate under the MDA in the interim allow? It will allow tougher enforcement measures. Abusers will no longer just be subject to fine. They can be subject to mandatory supervision and rehabilitation regimes. Those who import, sell, distribute etomidate-laced vapes can expect much stiffer penalties than today.

MOH has also asked my Ministry, MHA, to second officers to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to assist with the supervision, treatment, and rehab of etomidate abusers. We will do so.

Question: Would you be able to tell us a bit more about how etomidate and other substances are similar to drugs?

Minister: I don’t know if I will say similar, but you know, there are parallels. You have seen the number of stories in the media over the past few weeks on the harms from etomidate.

For example, there was a story in the Sunday Times last week. A mother was talking about her son’s addiction to “Kpods” (etomidate-laced vapes).  She said he “walks like a zombie”, he has no control over his body. She feels helpless, and feels there is “no way” for her to help her son.

Now, this is the damage that vapes laced with etomidate have done, within just a short period. It’s not just one story, there are many such instances. So, imagine, just look at it, what harder drugs can do. And you don’t have to imagine, you just have to look at many first world cities for the consequences. For drugs, the consequences, if we take a light approach, will be multiplied several folds compared with what you are seeing with etomidate. Imagine if we took an approach similar to other countries on drugs - What would our streets look like? What would happen to our children?

You know, ambassadors, ministers from other countries, activist groups, others financed by pharmaceutical companies, which tend to make money by monetising the misery of drug addicts - they all come to Singapore, or they see me elsewhere, they tell me our laws are harsh, we should allow cannabis to be sold freely, we should legalise drugs, we shouldn’t be having the death penalty, and our approach is wrong.

First question, you look at their streets and you look at our streets - where would you rather live? Second, you look at the number of deaths they have from drugs, and the abusers and the crime, and you look at our situation. Do we put this ideology first, or do we put the facts first? Whose streets are safer? Where do parents feel that they can bring up their children in safety? So I tell them: look, you look after yourselves, we look after Singaporeans, and Singaporeans support our policies. And as long as Singaporeans support our policies, and we believe this is the right thing to do, we will continue to take a tough line. And that tough line saves more lives, keeps our streets free of drugs, and parents can bring up their children with peace of mind.

The activists romanticise the drug traffickers - they have parents, they have sisters, this is how their lives can be imagined, or they were good children. What about the many more young people who will die, the many more crimes that will be committed, many more people’s lives which would be damaged beyond repair, if we took a softer line? That is why Singaporeans support the tough line we take on drugs, including the death penalty for traffickers, to keep Singaporeans safe. And my answer to everyone is, we do what we honestly believe to be in Singaporeans’ interest, and we will continue doing it as long as Singaporeans support it.

Question: Given the younger demographic of the etomidate-laced vape users, is the enforcement and awareness-building any different compared to dealing and approaching hard drugs?

Minister: We have to do it in the schools, we have to do it with the parents. It’s similar, just that for vapes, the children are starting younger. But you know, our public education on drugs also starts very young. This is something we’ll have to discuss with MOH, and MOH will have to decide how they want to bring it across, and how they want to do the public education for the young children. Thank you.