[Post 920] How Drug-Laced Vapes Are Plaguing Malaysia, Singapore And Thailand | Insight

Summary

E-cigarettes or vapes. Originally marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, they are now vehicles for much deadlier substances than nicotine – synthetic drugs. Also known as “Kpods”, “Zombie Pods” or “Mushrooms”, these vape pods are adulterated with drugs like, like ketamine, etomidate, methamphetamine and opioids. Drug-laced vapes are quietly sweeping across Southeast Asia, mostly used by the young. 

Across countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, authorities are struggling to crack down on the Kpods crisis. The challenge is that Kpods are indistinguishable from normal vapes, which makes detection difficult in countries like Malaysia, where vaping is legal. Insight investigates what Kpods are and where they come from.