Profile of Kpod user shifts to young people: Experts

New Paper

4 days ago

In just a few months, experts say the profile of a typical Kpod user has shifted from adults with a history of drug use, to young people abusing substances for the first time.
Senior consultant psychiatrist Munidasa Winslow, who was previously chief of the addiction medicine department at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said many of the Kpod-related patients he saw at the end of 2024 were already using other drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin.
"They (Kpod addicts) developed problems because they found it difficult to stop, and usually got high multiple times," said Dr Winslow, who now works in private practice and runs Promises Healthcare.
"Because they've had a previous addiction, they tend to chase highs, which means they use higher doses. These are the people who develop hallucinations and dissociations."
Kpods are e-vaporisers laced with drugs, such as the anaesthetic etomidate.
In the first half of 2025, Dr Winslow noticed that most of the patients were young people between the ages of 15 and 40, with no prior history of drug addiction.
He has seen 24 cases of Kpod addiction to date who were referred to his clinic.
"About 90 per cent of the youth who are taking Kpods are actually mild abusers," said Dr Winslow. "They are abusing (Kpods) just to get high or to experience something different, and are not really physically addicted."
While there may be an absence of a physical addiction, Kpod use can lead to serious mental and physical issues.
Professor Tan Huay Cheem, chairman of the Singapore Heart Foundation, said on the organisation's website: "Mentally, they (Kpods) can cause anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, memory problems and psychosis. In the long term, they have been linked to depression, suicidal thoughts and increased risk of schizophrenia."
Singapore had its first indication that young people here were using Kpods in April, after a 13-year-old girl was found behaving erratically outside the State Courts while puffing on an e-cigarette.
In the first half of 2025, the Health Sciences Authority detected 28 cases involving Kpods, up from 10 cases recorded in 2024.
Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, co-founder of youth mental health charity Impart, said it handled only one Kpod user in 2024, who was also a methamphetamine addict.
Since the start of 2025, the charity said it has seen about 10 Kpod-related cases, with young people aged between 14 and 24.
None of them had a history of drug use. According to Mr Narasimman, Impart, which conducts counselling for at-risk youth, said the calls it received for help were from parents and referrals from schools.
There is no clear explanation for the shift, but experts noted that sellers have been flooding the market by tapping social media platforms.
Dr Winslow said: "The sellers of vapes want to drum up as much business as possible. The more they sell, the more people they get."
Ms Nasirah Nasir, head of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association's (Sana) Step-Up Centres, said it has received about two Kpod-related calls a week since the start of 2025.
"The calls are mostly from next of kin who are seeking help for the (Kpod) users.
"Another trend we've noticed is parents calling to ask how they can help their children kick the habit," said Ms Nasirah, who added that the youngest user Sana has seen is about 13 years old.
She said there has been a slight uptick since Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on July 20 that the Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of Home Affairs to list etomidate as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which carries a heavier penalty for abusers and traffickers.
It follows the discovery that a third of more than 100 vapes seized during enforcement operations and tested at random were found to contain etomidate.
Since January, Ms Nasirah said Sana's caseworkers have followed up on six calls, which involve providing counselling to Kpod users, or helping them seek professional care at IMH's National Addictions Management Service (Nams).
End craving
Dr Melvyn Zhang, senior consultant at Nams, said conventional treatment methods for addiction can be used for Kpod addiction.
He added: "Counselling is useful to help the individual develop coping mechanisms, deal with the triggers and cravings to use Kpods and address any underlying factors that predispose them to such.
"Psychiatric medication may be required if the individual also develops or suffers from co-morbid psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety."
Dr Winslow said Kpod users may not develop physical dependency.
"You don't have withdrawals like with heroin, with the shaking and stomach pains. There's no physical dependency, but there might be a psychological dependency for vulnerable people," he said, adding that the majority of his Kpod-related patients can be well within a week of treatment.
The more complicated cases involve those who also use drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin, as they require him to help them detox from different substances.
Impart's Mr Narasimman said that with Kpod users, counsellors learn the underlying reason for their usage and try to introduce lifestyle changes and coping mechanisms.
"If they are influenced by peers, we teach them how to be assertive and say no to their friends," he said, adding that Impart has different counselling programmes catered to young people according to the severity of their Kpod use.
"For those who are merely experimenting, it's usually because of curiosity. So we'll lay out the pros and cons for them, and come up with a safety plan for them to prevent further usage," he added.
Mr Narasimman said young people who are addicted to Kpods are usually referred to Nams to get professional help.
Nams also offers a family support group and counsellor service for caregivers to provide them with support, from stress management to strategies to cope with the effects of addiction and beyond.
Mr Narasimman said Impart is looking into creating a support group for parents whose children are abusing Kpods.
Nams' Dr Zhang said it is important for parents to create a safe space for children to share openly about their struggles.
"Take time to understand the underlying factors driving their behaviour - whether it's academic pressure, social influences or emotional difficulties," he said.
Some ways parents can support their children with vaping addictions are by validating their feelings while being clear about the risks of vaping, and guiding them towards professional help and counselling services when needed.
Dr Winslow, the psychiatrist, said the worst thing for parents to do is to handle the matter themselves or ignore their child's Kpod use.
"You will need to spend a lot more time with your kids, even if it means you take time off from work," said Dr Winslow.
"Tell them that there are consequences if you do this (abuse Kpods)."
What works better is to enrol their children for treatment or rehabilitation sessions.
For starters, parents can put in constraints such as cutting free time to go out with friends on weekends, or even disallowing them to join family holidays.
"Once there's a constraint or something where people check on you or help you learn more about self-awareness, emotions and all that, the whole use issue will go down," he said.
Mr Narasimman said parents should avoid shaming their children, or resorting to drastic measures like kicking them out of the house or cutting their pocket money.
He said: "This will push the young person to the edge, and they will be forced to react. I had a youth who resorted to selling vapes to fund his own addiction because his parents cut off his pocket money."
Members of the public can report vaping offences to the Tobacco Regulation Branch by calling 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 9pm daily, or online at www.go.gov.sg/reportvape
Under current laws, possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000.
Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000.
Those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $10,000.
If you need help to quit vaping, you can join the Health Promotion Board's I Quit programme by calling the QuitLine on 1800-438-2000.
If you have a story to share about vapes, e-mail us at [e-mail]