In response to a recent Bangkok Post article highlighting the dangers of “zombie vapes,” the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns that the absence of clear, proportionate, and enforceable regulations is creating illicit markets that undermine public safety, encourage criminal enterprise, and expose consumers to heightened health risks.
These hazardous products, which contain the powerful anaesthetic etomidate—a scheduled drug typically used in hospital settings—have been circulating in the Asia Pacific region since 2023. First recorded in Hong Kong, they have now spread to Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and parts of Oceania.
With the exception of New Zealand, these are largely unregulated environments, fostering significant blind spots where banned or unmonitored products circulate without oversight. This regulatory vacuum invites unscrupulous actors to exploit consumer demand, flooding markets with untested and often dangerous items that pose serious health threats.
“Consumers seeking safer or more affordable alternatives are pushed into underground markets, where there are no standards, no recourse, and no accountability,” said Asa Saligupta from ECST Thailand.
“This not only weakens public trust in government institutions but also diverts resources away from evidence-based harm reduction and health promotion strategies.”
CAPHRA emphasises that rejecting harm reduction approaches exacerbates these issues, allowing illicit markets to flourish and placing public health at greater risk.
“To protect public health, reduce criminal activity, and ensure consumer safety, governments must adopt proportionate, risk-based regulations that reflect current evidence,” Saligupta added.
“Regulatory clarity empowers consumers, incentivises compliance, and creates the conditions for legal markets to outcompete illicit ones.”
Without such measures, the problem persists and worsens. “Without effective regulation, we do not eliminate risk; we merely abdicate responsibility and leave the public exposed to greater harm,” Saligupta concluded.
CAPHRA urges governments across the Asia Pacific to implement evidence-based regulations that prioritise consumer safety and harm reduction, ensuring legal alternatives displace dangerous illicit products.
