BANGKOK: Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has warned e-cigarette users after laboratory tests detected methamphetamine hydrochloride and etomidate in the same seized vape pod for the first time.
It said that inhaling the liquid containing the two substances could cause severe and potentially fatal effects, including loss of consciousness, an abnormal heartbeat, acute heart failure and sudden death.
Sarawut Boonsuk, the department’s director-general, said the Bureau of Drug and Narcotic received a seized pod cartridge for laboratory examination in June 2026.
The cartridge contained a transparent orange liquid. Tests found methamphetamine hydrochloride at 3.56 per cent and detected etomidate, which is controlled in Thailand as a Category 2 psychotropic substance.
Sarawut said this was the first time the department had found methamphetamine hydrochloride and etomidate mixed in the same e-cigarette liquid.
The finding indicated a new pattern of illicit drug use and increased the potential health risks faced by users, he said.
Etomidate has been illicitly added to vape liquids commonly referred to as “K-pods” or “zombie e-cigarettes”. It is an anaesthetic normally used by medical professionals in hospitals.
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration reclassified etomidate from a specially controlled medicine to a Category 2 psychotropic substance from July 27, 2025, after evidence emerged that it was being misused in e-cigarette liquids. It warned that such use could cause unconsciousness, respiratory arrest or death.
Combination could cause a sudden medical emergency.
Sarawut said etomidate could suppress breathing and brain function, potentially causing a user to lose consciousness.
Methamphetamine hydrochloride has the opposite effect on several body systems, stimulating the nervous system and increasing the workload on the heart.
The stimulant could cause an abnormal heart rhythm and increase the risk of acute heart failure, the department warned.
Inhaling an e-cigarette liquid containing both substances could therefore cause severe symptoms and potentially result in sudden death. The warning concerned the seized liquid examined by the department’s laboratory, which contained both substances in a single pod. - The Nation/ANN
