Sawt Falasteen - Grieving Singapore father on mission to save teens from drug vapes

Authorities in the Southeast Asian island state have clamped down on e-cigarettes, introducing strict measures last month to combat a worrying rise in the use of so-called KPods -- vapes spiked with synthetic drugs such as ketamine.

Tay told AFP that his daughter, 19-year-old Shermaine, was struggling with substance abuse before her death last year.

"Initially she was vaping" nicotine substances, he said, but one day "she showed me this new product... you smoke and you get high."

Shermaine was referring to etomidate, a short-acting anaesthetic that can trigger hallucinations, seizures and erratic behaviour.

Much like other vapes, KPods often draw young people, and despite being illegal, are readily available on online platforms like Telegram.

"E-vapourisers have changed the landscape of substance abuse. There are more young people involved out of curiosity, or succumbing to peer pressure," Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told lawmakers last month.

Vaping, which appeared two decades ago as an alternative to smoking, was already banned in Singapore since 2018, but regulations in place as of September 1 reclassified it as a drug-related offence with tougher punishments.

Now, anyone caught with e-cigarettes risks a fine of up to 2,000 Singapore dollars (about $1,550), and repeat offenders face compulsory rehabilitation or caning if they are Singaporean, or deportation for foreigners.

Selling or importing drug-laced vapes carries jail terms of up to 10 or 20 years, respectively.

- Crackdown -

There is no official data on vape-related injuries or deaths, but Tay said that his daughter's death has pushed him to speak up about the dangers of KPods.

Shermaine's lifeless body was found at the foot of their apartment building in September last year.

Video footage showed her staggering out of the flat before the fall -- behaviour her father said is consistent with etomidate use.

"Even if one person is saved from KPod use, my daughter's memory would have served its purpose," said the single father, who now regularly shares videos online and was recently tapped to tell his story in a government campaign to discourage vaping.

Singapore has mobilised 10,000 officers to enforce its anti-vaping crackdown, raiding night spots and patrolling public places like parks, metro stations and schools.

Within the first three weeks since the new regulations were introduced, 656 people were caught for vape-related offences including 44 who possessed etomidate vapes, according to official data.

Singapore has among the toughest anti-drug laws in the world, which include the death penalty for certain offences.

The government temporarily classified etomidate, which is used in hospitals to sedate patients, as a Class C harmful drug, while it crafts more effective legislation against the new threat.

- 'Zombie spice' -

Social media users have increasingly shared videos of Singaporean teens "walking like zombies", purportedly after puffing KPods, triggering alarm.

In scenes rare in the city-state, a 17-year-old boy was filmed in July walking erratically inside a metro train. He appeared disoriented and stumbled towards the train doors before falling backwards.

The Health Sciences Authority, which is leading the anti-vaping crackdown, said a vape was found in his possession.

Drug-spiked vapes in Singapore usually contain etomidate, but authorities warn they could be laced with more dangerous drugs in the future.

Often smuggled by land from neighbouring Malaysia, where vaping is legal, KPods are often marketed under flashy names like "zombie spice" or "space oil", and masked with fruity flavours such as mango or blueberry to boost their appeal.

Authorities have stood by the blanket ban on e-cigarettes, even as some like the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates have warned that such policies could simply push the trade underground.

Data analytics firm Euromonitor International said that "over 75 percent of global e-vapour volume is driven by illicit market" and that 31 percent of consumers worldwide live in places where the devices are prohibited.

Tay, the advocate, sees urgency in the anti-vaping campaign.

He has a message to young people: "KPods will kill your dreams, steal your future."

Speaking of his daughter, he said, "she had big dreams. Those dreams are now gone."

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST