SINGAPORE: A 13-year-old girl is assisting with investigations after she was spotted using an e-vaporiser that was laced with an anaesthetic outside the State Courts, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Tuesday (May 13).
HSA was alerted to the case on Apr 24 after the girl had "behaved erratically" while vaping in public outside the courts in Chinatown.
"She was unsteady in gait and appeared to be oblivious of her surroundings; a sign of possible drug intoxication," said the authority.
Officers from HSA identified the 13-year-old girl and raided her residence, seizing a vape that has been tested to contain etomidate.
Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent. It should only be administered under medical supervision.
Adverse effects of etomidate include nausea and vomiting, muscle spasms, changes to breathing and blood pressure, as well as seizures and psychosis.
HSA said it identified and caught the person who sold the vape to the 13-year-old. One vape and three pods that were seized from the seller were also found to contain etomidate.
The 25-year-old seller and his 26-year-old wife are also assisting in the investigation.
Screenshot of a video on social media showing a man vaping on a train. (Image: HSA)
In a separate incident, HSA identified a 36-year-old man who was filmed vaping on an MRT train. A video of it was posted on social media on Apr 18.
HSA officers raided his residence and did not find any vapes, with the man claiming he had thrown his vape away. Investigations are ongoing.
The agency said that those who witness people using vapes can "voluntarily assist" HSA in its enforcement actions by submitting "clear, full-frontal photographs or videos" of offenders to hsa_trb [at] hsa.gov.sg.
Buying, possessing and using vapes are prohibited in Singapore. This includes purchases made online and from overseas.
Offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,530).
If convicted, those possessing or using vape pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
People who have information on the illegal import, distribution or sale of vapes can contact the Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684 2036 or 6684 2037 during office hours.
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HSA was alerted to the case on Apr 24 after the girl had "behaved erratically" while vaping in public outside the courts in Chinatown.
"She was unsteady in gait and appeared to be oblivious of her surroundings; a sign of possible drug intoxication," said the authority.
Officers from HSA identified the 13-year-old girl and raided her residence, seizing a vape that has been tested to contain etomidate.
Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent. It should only be administered under medical supervision.
Adverse effects of etomidate include nausea and vomiting, muscle spasms, changes to breathing and blood pressure, as well as seizures and psychosis.
HSA said it identified and caught the person who sold the vape to the 13-year-old. One vape and three pods that were seized from the seller were also found to contain etomidate.
The 25-year-old seller and his 26-year-old wife are also assisting in the investigation.
Screenshot of a video on social media showing a man vaping on a train. (Image: HSA)
In a separate incident, HSA identified a 36-year-old man who was filmed vaping on an MRT train. A video of it was posted on social media on Apr 18.
HSA officers raided his residence and did not find any vapes, with the man claiming he had thrown his vape away. Investigations are ongoing.
The agency said that those who witness people using vapes can "voluntarily assist" HSA in its enforcement actions by submitting "clear, full-frontal photographs or videos" of offenders to hsa_trb [at] hsa.gov.sg.
Buying, possessing and using vapes are prohibited in Singapore. This includes purchases made online and from overseas.
Offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,530).
If convicted, those possessing or using vape pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
People who have information on the illegal import, distribution or sale of vapes can contact the Tobacco Regulation Branch at 6684 2036 or 6684 2037 during office hours.
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