'I mixed with wrong company': Youth tells TikToker about experience with Kpods as warning to others

Local influencer Runner Kao pushed his anti-vape message further in a recent TikTok video by sharing an apparent first-hand account from a youth who claimed to have used Kpods in the past.

Kao, who has over 266,000 followers on TikTok, has recently been using his platform to warn youths against vaping, often using Gen Alpha slang to connect with younger audiences.

In the video posted on Tuesday (Aug 5), Kao, whose full name is Kao Rong Sheng, appears to be eating when a youth approaches him to share about his experience with Kpods.

Kpods refer to drug-laced e-vaporisers that can contain the anaesthetic etomidate, or they can also contain ketamine, another anaesthetic with hallucinogenic properties.

In the caption to his video, Kao stated that the youth wanted to share his story to warn others against using Kpods.

The youth revealed that he has since kicked the habit and has remained clean for 17 months.

He added that his girlfriend was the one who convinced him to stop.

Sharing his own experience with vaping, the youth claimed that there are two types of Kpods — "clean" and "dirty".

"Dirty" Kpods are those which contain a substance he called "ice" — a slang for crystal methamphetamine.

The "dirty" Kpods, he claimed, are responsible for the zombie-like behaviour seen in viral videos of e-vaporiser users. 

"The dirty pods [are] mainly [what's available] in Singapore because [there are no more] clean pods," he explained.

He shared that one Kpod usually costs $45 and up to $60, lasting users for about a day.

"Some people save up for a whole week just to buy one pod," the youth said.

@runnerkao

He want me to share to warn others

♬ original sound - Runner Kao

'Wrong company'

When asked by Kao how he started taking Kpods, the youth admitted: "I mixed with the wrong company."

Many of those people he used to associate with have since been taken in by authorities for scam and drug-related crimes, he claimed.

The youth said he and his friend had purchased their Kpods from sellers on Telegram, but he noted that they are not the only source.

According to him, some peddlers wait outside schools to target students. These peddlers are usually of a similar age to the students, he said.

He alleged that the distribution of Kpods occurs even within schools, citing how his girlfriend encountered a dealer in her institution.

Kao also offered advice to the youth, asking him to promise to "never ever go back" to using Kpods.

"I don't even think I have the money," the youth laughed in response.

'You farm zero aura'

In another video posted last Saturday (Aug 2), Kao shared his thoughts on a viral video of a youth walking about an MRT carriage like a "zombie".

"Inside MRT also dare to use zombie vape... once again I tell all you young people, you farm zero aura by using Kpods," he said in the video. "It's totally negative aura."

AsiaOne has reached out to Kao for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com