Singapore officers launch correctional program for etomidate abusers

Psychologist Sarah Lavinia Joseph and her team at the Singapore Prison Service developed a correctional program for people abusing etomidate in just a few months.

The team responded to a surge in cases involving Kpods, which are vapes laced with the powerful anesthetic. After Singapore classified etomidate as a Class C controlled drug in September 2025, the group created a 10-session program to start in November 2025.

The program helps participants understand the reasons for their addiction and create plans to manage their behavior. It also aims to help them build personal and social capital to plan for their futures. The Singapore Prison Service reported that 67 people had joined the program by October 1, 2026. The government recognized the work of several officers during a ceremony at the Home Team Academy. Senior Minister K.

Shanmugam noted that technology like PolCams has helped solve 10,000 criminal cases since 2012. The police currently have over 100,000 PolCams and plan to reach 200,000 by the mid-2030s. Other honored officers included Jennifer Quek, who developed an autonomous drone called SkyGuardian, and Lieutenant Nur Shazlina Mohamad Ibrahim, who led a 36-hour firefighting effort at Keppel Road.