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Tag: ketamine

  • Health Advocates Renew Call to Ban Vapes in Malaysia

    Health Advocates Renew Call to Ban Vapes in Malaysia

    Public health and anti-smoking advocates in Malaysia are renewing calls for a nationwide ban on vaping products amid growing concerns over the use of drug-laced vapes. Consumer advocates and mental health experts argue that e-cigarettes are increasingly being used to consume synthetic drugs such as ketamine and etomidate, citing government data showing that 73% of drug abuse cases in the country involve synthetic drugs.

    The renewed push follows similar concerns across Southeast Asia, with Indonesia also considering stricter restrictions on e-cigarettes.

  • Indonesia Cracking Down on Ketamine-Laced Vapes

    Indonesia Cracking Down on Ketamine-Laced Vapes

    Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has vowed strict enforcement against electronic cigarette products found to contain ketamine, a powerful anesthetic increasingly misused as a recreational drug. BPOM Chief Taruna Ikrar said the agency’s mandate focuses on harmful substances, not just the form of the product.

    “The Agency also has the authority to take action, not because of the cigarette or vape, but because it contains harmful substances,” he told reporters in Jakarta.

    The move follows seizures by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), which recently intercepted counterfeit ketamine, synthetic marijuana, and vape pods allegedly laced with narcotics. Authorities warned that psychoactive substances disguised in vape products are spreading rapidly in Indonesia.

    BPOM confirmed that if ketamine is detected, it can immediately launch legal proceedings, while BNN continues testing vape brands circulating in the market.