Punishment for vaping will be with sticks (2 photos + 1 video)

Are you nervous? Don't panic, it's not here yet, it's in Singapore.





Now they won't just fine you, they'll beat you with sticks. Yes, you heard right. This isn't your granny's belt, it's a real cane. And it's all because of the newfangled trend of devices with etomidate. Etomidate is an intravenous anesthetic used in medical institutions. However, Singapore authorities say it's increasingly being mixed with e-liquids. Locals call these things K-pods because the effect is similar to ketamine. It seems the authorities have decided that sleeping on the go from a vape is too much.

Vapes have been banned in Singapore since 2018, but people are still reaching for the forbidden fruit. In July, authorities tested a hundred confiscated devices, and a third were found to contain etimidate. Videos of teenagers staggering like zombies after taking a drag have flooded social media.

In a country where you can get a fine for chewing gum, such lawlessness was not tolerated. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that vapes have become a gateway to serious drug addiction. So they decided to beat them up. Literally.

The punishments are severe. If you are caught with a regular vape, you will be fined from 500 Singapore dollars. If you are under 18, the fine is slightly less, but you will still get it. If you are caught again, you will be sent to re-education for six months.



But for K-pods or trading in etimidate, you can get up to twenty years in prison and up to fifteen strokes of the cane. Suppliers are beaten especially harshly, so that others don’t dare do the same. Foreigners won’t be happy either: they can be deported and banned from entering forever. Even the airport now has notices about the ban and boxes for returning vapes.

Singaporeans don’t just scare, they act. They’ve placed containers for recycling vapes around the city, anti-smoking lessons have been introduced in schools, and patrols are now checking bags in the subway and parks. Even the army and police have their own punishments: from fines to dismissal. In short, if you’re going to Singapore, leave your vape at home. Otherwise, sticks and a cell for twenty years. Better drink coffee, at least it's legal there.