The arrest of a man vaping etomidate in Singapore, reported in March 2025, seems like just another headline on drug enforcement. But it’s not. This incident points to a quick, dangerous merger of technology, supply chains, and regulatory gaps that should catch the attention of anyone doing business globally, but especially entrepreneurs focused on regulated industries and emerging tech.
Etomidate, a surgical anesthetic, isn’t new. Hospitals have relied on it since the 1970s for short-term sedation. What is new? It’s being vaporized, abused, and smuggled using increasingly clever tools: disposable vape pens. These devices, originally designed for nicotine or cannabis, are simple to modify, blending ease of use with invisibility. And that’s what happened here. Someone turned a medical tool into an addictive high. Singapore, already infamous for strict drug laws, is now scrambling to outlaw etomidate as a Class C drug under their Misuse of Drugs Act.
Why does this matter outside of Singapore’s borders? Here’s why.
Technology Driving Abuse
E-cigarettes are driving this trend by offering an easy gateway for substances like etomidate to find new markets. What used to require knowledge of substance extraction or traditional consumption methods is now as simple as picking up a vaporizer cartridge infused with the compound. Tech entrepreneurs, you should take note. It's a reminder of how tools you create or fund can take unintended dark turns.
Here’s a stat to back this up. From a July 2025 survey conducted by Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), a third of randomly seized vapes tested positive for drug adulteration, including etomidate. That’s not a loophole; it’s a chasm in oversight.
And the customers? Often young, tech-savvy individuals. Traits that startups targeting younger demographics know, and know how to speak to.
Five Lessons from the Incident
-
Technology outpaces regulation.
Products that are meant to solve a problem can easily become focal points for challenges that were never anticipated. As vaporizer tech evolved, it's clear that regulators didn’t anticipate such widespread abuse potential. -
Enforcement tools are outdated.
Relying on visual inspection or routine urine tests isn't enough when drugs like etomidate might not leave a trace in conventional screenings. Entrepreneurs, what gaps could vendors in your niche exploit before you even see it coming? -
Regulatory responses are habit-driven.
Singapore's approach follows predictable patterns, state announcements, threat assessments, strict bans. But criminal networks predict and adapt to it. Entrepreneurs operating across borders should ask how predictable their compliance and enforcement strategies appear in regulated markets. -
Consumer behavior can hack platforms.
Etomidate use isn’t fueled by supply alone. It’s driven by users who understand the simple workarounds to vape with the drug. Layer in the anonymity of internet sales, and buyers barely need a local supplier. Startups in e-commerce and B2C tech should pay attention to these consumer-driven rewrites of supply chains. -
Broader consumer risks reduce trust in products.
Vape pens, already questioned due to health concerns for nicotine or cannabis users, now face another public confidence blow. Emerging sectors where consumer protections aren’t fully developed now face even heavier skepticism.
Avoiding This in Your Business
Startup founders and business owners need practical strategies to navigate such risks. Here are three steps you can apply today.
-
Audit product misuse potential.
Before launching or scaling physical products, map out how they could be dangerously reconfigured. Don’t dismiss creativity, even unethical creativity, from your users or bad actors. Running this internal analysis can save you lawsuits and public scandals later. -
Track global regulations.
Entrepreneurs operating across jurisdictions can’t afford to ignore regional differences in compliance. If one market heavily regulates your product but others ignore it, the risk of black-market trade increases dramatically. Leverage in-house teams or software to watch for enforcement trends. -
Collaborate with enforcement bodies.
It’s not enough to claim detachment. Take Singapore’s tight relationship between health officials and customs enforcement as a case study. Proactively engage those likely to assess your product risks, not after media backlash paints you as careless.
Common Mistakes by Entrepreneurs in Regulated Industries
-
Assuming your product is immune to abuse.
Many entrepreneurs, especially in health tech and consumer goods, get caught off guard when their tools are misused, and publicly tied to harm. This crushes reputations, and quick denial causes even greater brand damage. -
Ignoring consumer education.
Offering a product without addressing potential misuse risks distances your business exactly when you need user trust. Early communication about user safety builds goodwill and reduces risks of misuse. -
Not designing preventative features.
Etomidate would be harder to abuse if vaporizers included basic safeguards. Designing failure points into products isn’t just about adding friction, it’s about enforcing ethical use at the hardware/software level.
A Bigger Trend
Etomidate vaping isn’t an isolated case. It’s part of a global shift in how narcotics are distributed and consumed. As supply chains for legal and illicit goods intertwine, particularly through gray-market e-commerce platforms, businesses will face greater pressure to track the full lifecycle of their products.
Countries like Thailand are already finding etomidate in counterfeit vape cartridges, signaling a pattern not restricted to Singapore. Entrepreneurs investing in blockchain for supply-chain tracking or startups in compliance tech shouldn’t overlook these growing regulatory needs.
Conclusion
Zooming out, this isn’t just about Singapore or vape pens. This is about how quickly good technologies can be derailed by misuse in a regulatory environment that can’t keep up. And it places entrepreneurs like you at a crossroads. You can either react defensively or embrace this as a challenge to build smarter, more mindful businesses that anticipate and prevent these risks.
Forward-looking business owners don’t just innovate without guardrails. They actively map risk and take steps before problems define them. Let this be your reminder, and your opportunity, to rethink what might be hiding in your own blind spots.
FAQ
1. What is etomidate and why is it controversial now?
Etomidate is a surgical anesthetic used clinically since the 1970s for sedation before intubation. Recently, it became controversial due to abuse via vaping, turning it into a high-inducing substance. Learn more about the etomidate controversy
2. Why was Singapore's arrest significant?
Singapore's first arrest for vaping etomidate illustrates how global technology and supply chains are enabling drug abuse in new ways. It has spurred regulatory action to classify etomidate as a controlled substance. Explore the significance of Singapore's first etomidate arrest
3. How does vaping technology enable drug misuse like etomidate?
Vaporizers, originally designed for nicotine or cannabis, are easily modified for substances like etomidate, offering discreet, accessible methods of abuse. Understand vaping technology’s role
4. What risks does etomidate misuse pose to health?
Misusing etomidate can lead to respiratory depression, seizures, psychosis, and even death. These severe risks highlight the dangers of non-medical use. Learn more about the health risks of etomidate
5. How prevalent is vaping etomidate globally?
Vaping etomidate is a growing trend in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, with instances detected in Thailand, Singapore, and across illicit markets globally. Check the global prevalence
6. Why is Singapore considered a hotspot for drug regulation?
Singapore’s strict drug laws, such as mandatory rehab and the death penalty for traffickers, make it a key player in narcotics regulation, though its position as a transport hub complicates enforcement. Explore Singapore’s drug policies
7. How has the misuse of vaporizers affected public trust?
Drug misuse through vaporizers worsens consequences tied to vaping, turning public opinion even more skeptical toward these devices. Learn more about vaping and public trust
8. What lessons can businesses learn from this case about product misuse?
Startups should audit their products for misuse potential, track regulatory differences across jurisdictions, and design safety features to curtail abuse. Gain insights for businesses
9. How does technology outpace regulation when it comes to abuse?
Fast-evolving technologies like vaporizers make regulatory oversight challenging, allowing abuse platforms to emerge before detection methods catch up. Check out examples of tech outpacing regulation
10. What insights can be drawn about gray-market drug trade trends?
The shift from bulk narcotics to refined substances misused via consumer goods, such as vapes, underscores challenges to combating gray-market drug networks. Learn more about gray-market drug trends
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.