Ordinary vape liquids can be easily laced with drugs, making them difficult to detect. — Canva
At first glance, it looks like an ordinary vaping device.
But hidden inside is something dangerous and illegal.
Across South-East Asia, a threat known as “Kpod” vapes is quietly spreading.
Laced with illicit drug compounds, these vape liquids are making this harmful habit even more perilous.
Former chef Nur Maisarah*, 42, unknowingly tried one after a friend offered it to her, assuming it contained a regular nicotine liquid.
The effects she felt were immediate.
“I took a few puffs for about five seconds, then stopped to talk,” she shares.
“Suddenly, I felt cold.
“People were standing close to me, but their voices sounded far away.”
In that moment, it felt as though she was “floating on clouds” – a sensation that frightened her.
“That’s when I realised I was hallucinating.”
Although the inhalation lasts only a few seconds, the resulting effects can persist for up to two hours.
“I didn’t think it was serious because I’d only taken a little, but I could feel something moving inside my body,” says Nur Maisarah.
“It felt like the substance had entered my bloodstream.”
At times, she felt disconnected from reality after vaping the drug.
“When I got up to get water, the kitchen was right in front of me, but it felt so far away.
“It took me almost five minutes to reach it.
“Everything looked distorted, and I couldn’t focus,” she shares.
Despite experiencing several such episodes, she only stopped using the liquid after her fifth time.
Out of concern, she later went for a medical check-up, but her tests came back normal.
“The doctor said everything was fine – no infection, no fever.
“I was confused. Maybe it was stress, or maybe just my body reacting to the drug,” she says.
Nur Maisarah says that the friend who introduced the drug-laced vape liquid to her suffers even more intense effects.
He would start acting strangely.
Although he is usually a quiet person, after vaping the Kpod, he would suddenly talk non-stop, but nothing he says would make sense.
It is as if his brain isn’t working properly, she says.
She also notices physical changes in him: the area under his eyes turns red and his whole expression changes.
Nur Maisarah also recalls seeing a young boy outside a vape shop, clearly under some kind of narcotic influence after he had vaped.
He became hysterical, just like in the “zombie” videos online showing people who had used Kpods, she describes.
He was shivering, coughing, and even starting foaming around his mouth.
He was eventually sent to the hospital.
Nur Maisarah now speaks strongly about the dangers of such products.
She feels angry as the people who sell them can ruin lives, including those of children.
“They want easy money, but they don’t care who they harm,” she says.
She offers this advice: love yourself, and don’t follow friends just to fit in.
“It’s easy to find people who can lead you down the wrong path,” she says.
“If someone tries to pull you towards something harmful, walk away.”
Hook first, sell later
Just like small shop promoters handing out free samples, dealers entice users to try Kpods before convincing them to buy.
Din*, a 26-year-old vape stockist, says he is regularly approached by promoting these illicit products.
“They come to the shop offering testers,” he says.
“I’m not sure what brand it is, but it’s definitely laced with drugs.
“They tell me to try it and call them if I’m interested, but I reject it.”
Although the dealers don’t say what substance is in the vaping liquids, Din assumes they contain mushroom-based drugs, which have become increasingly popular.
Indeed, he does have customers who frequently ask whether his shop sells drug-infused vapes.
He explains that these sellers operate like street-level pushers.
“They don’t promote the products openly.
“They work quietly as middlemen, finding buyers and moving stock through hidden channels.”
A 10ml bottle typically costs RM100-200, while ordinary nicotine vape liquid sells for RM20-25 per 15ml.
He has also heard of schoolchildren buying the substance from outsiders for as little as RM1 per "drop", with stronger doses costing more.
The drug is easy to conceal, he warns, as it can be mixed into standard vape cartridges.
Some users report an unusual smell that differs from the familiar sweet scent of standard vape flavours.
These products are often sold under names like “Thor” or “Hulk”, informal code words used in underground networks.
“Some sellers use WhatsApp or Telegram.
“I’ve seen Facebook posts saying, ‘PM if you want certain flavours,’” Din says.
Kpod peddlers also add vape retailers to WhatsApp broadcast lists to secretly promote the illegal liquids.
He notes that the Health Ministry (MOH) will conduct raids whenever there are complaints about such substances being sold.
“Some shops are raided, and officers ask whether the products are being sold; they tell us it’s illegal.
“It hasn’t happened to us yet, but if there’s a complaint, they will come,” he says.
The controversy affects the vape business, with sales dipping after increased enforcement.
“The products we sell are legal and customers know which brands are approved by MOH.
“But when illegal Kpods are sold online or privately, it harms the vape industry – people start losing trust,” he explains.
Clueless about the drug
Most users and sellers still have little idea what these drug-laced vape liquids contain, says Monash University Malaysia consultant addiction psychiatrist Assoc Prof Dr Anne Yee.
“Both buyers and sellers often rely on hearsay rather than facts,” says the adjunct professor at the Universiti Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences.
These products became known as “Kpods” because many assumed the drug in it was ketamine (represented by the “K”), a drug widely misused in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“However, toxicology tests show the liquid actually contains etomidate, a short-acting anaesthetic.
“If anything, they should be called ‘Epods’, because the chemistry isn’t ketamine at all,” she says.
Assoc Prof Yee notes that etomidate, which can be legally used by doctors (usually anaesthetists), can be easily mixed into vape liquids, and is psychoactive and fast-acting.
“As it is not listed under the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) or Poisons Act, users cannot be charged specifically for possessing etomidate,” she shares.
Dealers promote it as a “clean” product that cannot be detected by authorities.
“Standard rapid drug tests only screen for common substances like heroin, cannabis and methamphetamine, which means newer agents like etomidate often slip through unless a lab conducts advanced toxicology testing,” she explains.
She shares that she began seeing patients affected by these products in her clinic about a year ago.
“People don’t understand what they are and assume they’re linked to ‘magic mushrooms’, especially after research from Yale University suggested psilocybin may help treat treatment-resistant depression,” she says.
Psilocybin is a naturally-occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms that alters perception, mood and thought by affecting serotonin receptors in the brain.
“Many equate psilocybin with magic mushrooms and assume they are the same, or even therapeutic.
“But mushrooms contain many different compounds, and psilocybin is only one of them,” Assoc Prof Yee warns.
Sellers exploit this confusion, using the term “magic mushrooms” to market the vape liquids as natural remedies.
“Dealers flavour and brand the products attractively, promoting them as ‘legal’ and ‘undetectable’ to make them even more appealing to inexperienced users.
“They claim the products are safe because they aren’t listed under the DDA,” Assoc Prof Yee points out.
She notes that many young people perceive these Kpods as less harmful because vaping is marketed as harmless, healthy and a cool lifestyle habit.
“When celebrities promote vaping, it becomes linked to a lifestyle image – much like how tobacco companies once tied cigarettes to manhood, adventure and status,” she says.
“Young people view vaping as modern and cleaner than smoking, while manufacturers design flavours and packaging that appeal especially to women, widening the market beyond the traditional male user base.”
While the effects of these Kpods may be felt immediately, the real damage could only surface much later – with serious consequences for the user’s health.
*All names have been changed to preserve privacy
See StarHealth on Jan 11 (2026) for how substances like etomidate affect the brain and body, and why their risks extend far beyond the initial high.
