Teenage girl caught vaping ‘space oil’ outside Singapore courts

Appearing ‘oblivious’ to her surroundings, the girl’s vape tested positive for etomidate, the same drug Hong Kong banned in February

A 13-year-old girl was spotted using a vape laced with an anaesthetic outside Singapore’s State Courts, the city state’s Health Sciences Authority said on Tuesday.

The girl, who is assisting with investigations, was seen behaving “erratically” while vaping in public outside the courts in Chinatown on April 24.

“She was unsteady in gait and appeared to be oblivious of her surroundings; a sign of possible drug intoxication,” the authority said.

Officers identified the 13-year-old girl and raided her residence, seizing a vape that has been tested to contain etomidate – a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent, which Hong Kong classified as a dangerous drug in February due to its illicit use in “space oil”.

Adverse effects of etomidate use include nausea and vomiting, muscle spasms, changes to breathing and blood pressure, seizures and psychosis.

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority said it had identified and caught the person who sold the vape to the 13-year-old. One vape and three pods that were seized from the seller were also found to contain etomidate.

The 25-year-old seller and his 26-year-old wife are also assisting in the investigation.

In a separate incident, the authority also identified a 36-year-old man who was filmed vaping on an Mass Rapid Transit train in Singapore. A video of it was posted on social media on April 18.

Officers raided his residence and did not find any vapes, with the man claiming he had thrown his vape away. Investigations are ongoing.

The agency said that anyone who witnesses people using vapes can “voluntarily assist” enforcement actions by submitting “clear, full-frontal photographs or videos” of offenders to the Health Sciences Authority.

Buying, possessing and using vapes are prohibited in Singapore. This includes purchases made online and from overseas. Offenders can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,530).

If convicted, those possessing or using vape pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

This article was first published by CNA