Singaporean authorities have announced tougher penalties for vaping as they try to crack down on the increasing use of drug-laced vapes in the country.
These include stiffer fines, longer jail terms and even caning. Foreigners may also be deported.
While Singapore was one of the first places in the world to ban vaping in 2018, the practice has persisted and in recent months the city-state has seen a rise in popularity of vapes laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic drug.
This has caused widespread alarm in the country which has some of the world's toughest drug laws.
In recent months, authorities have acknowledged the growing prevalence of etomidate-laced vapes, more popularly known as Kpods in Singapore. The nickname is short for "ketamine pods" and refers to how etomidate has similar effects to ketamine.
