'A lot of young people': Ong Ye Kung explains reasons behind red vape bin initiative amidst heightened enforcement

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung recently addressed heightened Government measures to stop vaping, including placing red vape bins islandwide.

In an episode of local podcast The Daily Ketchup, which was released on Thursday (Sept 4), Ong was asked about the red-coloured vape disposal bins, which allow abusers to surrender their devices without penalties. 

The hosts of the podcasts narrowed in on the leniency of this initiative in particular.

To this, Ong responded that this approach was his call, as there were "a lot of young people" among vape users, with 30 per cent of users being under 30 years of age.

To "throw the book at them" with the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) would be harmful for their future as the offences would go on their records, he said.

The health minister added that he has faith that young people can be convinced to stop vaping, unlike hardcore drug users who are difficult to persuade.

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Additionally, when asked if there were locations which had a surprising number of vapes disposed, Ong said: "Certain spots, I don't know why [the bins] are full."

He named Kembangan as one such area.

"I suspect a group of parents [or] a group of kids came together and said 'Let's get rid of these [vapes]'," he said.

Ong was also asked if the recently announced harsher penalties would help to curb the spread rather than making it more of a "forbidden fruit".

He said such measures have helped for other drugs.

New penalties will make suppliers and traffickers 'think twice'

On Aug 28, the Government announced a series of regulations to address the growing issue of vaping in Singapore. 

Etomidate-laced vapes, known as Kpods, were a key focus of the crackdown.

Measures include harsher punishments for Kpod suppliers, sellers and distributors as well as heftier fines for Kpod and vape users.

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As of Sept 1, those caught importing Kpods face a mandatory minimum three-year jail sentence and five strokes of the cane. 

Serious offenders can be jailed for up to 20 years and face up to 15 strokes of the cane.

Describing suppliers and traffickers as "businessmen", Ong said that the new penalties will make them "think twice" about running such operations as it becomes more risky.

There has already been a drop in the proportion of vapes that contain etomidate, the health minister added.

The substance has been reclassified as a Class C controlled drug under the MDA, which provides for harsher penalties for abusers of the substance. 

They now face a maximum sentence of 10 years' jail and $20,000 fine for illegal possession and use.

On achieving a balance between punishment and rehabilitation, Ong said that while the authorities will monitor the effectiveness of current legislation over the next few months, there will eventually be new or amended legislation to deal with the issue.

The reclassification of etomidate will lapse on Feb 28, 2026.

Ong said: "Today we take a bit of powers from the Poisons Act, from MDA, from the Tobacco Act, and then piece them together to form this framework, which is not neat at all.

"So we need something that is fit for purpose, because I think this mode of substance abuse is here to stay."

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com