Sell "pod chill" publicly via Facebook and Telegram
Recently, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (PC04), Ho Chi Minh City Police, dismantled a line of buying and selling, organizing the illegal use of Etomidate drugs, seizing 1,670 "pod chill" heads containing drugs and many other exhibits.
Although functional forces have continuously handled and regulations prohibiting the use, storage, trading and transportation of e-cigarettes have taken effect, according to reporters' records, the advertising of "pod chill" on social networks is still taking place publicly.
Through surveys on Facebook groups, many accounts do not directly post content about buying and selling e-cigarettes or "pod chill" but use phrases such as "toys", "unique goods", "full flavor"...
After just a few minutes of searching with keywords related to "pod chill", vape or "toys", reporters easily accessed many groups with thousands of members. The posts all left phone numbers or texting accounts and said they could deliver goods to your door if customers needed them.
In the role of someone wanting to buy "pod chill", the reporter contacted an account that was selling on Facebook. After a few text messages, this person quickly sent a Telegram link to choose the product. When the reporter requested immediate delivery, the seller agreed and said that it could be delivered in about 2 hours in inner Hanoi.
Sellers also informed that the prices of products have increased by about 20-30% compared to before due to the tightening of e-cigarette management.
Depending on the type and capacity of essential oils, the price of each pod chill product ranges from 150,000 VND to about 1 million VND," the seller said.
Talking to another person who is advertising "pod chill", the seller said that on the market, this product is often introduced as a "one-timepod" or "special type" to distinguish it from ordinary e-cigarettes.
According to this person, the electronic cigarette device itself only plays the role of vaporizing essential oils, and the difference lies in the composition of the essential oil used. The pod is just a machine to vaporize essential oils from liquid to vaporized form for suction, and each machine body is the same.
The difference is the essential oils inside. Essential oils from major brands often have public information, the main ingredients are nicotine and flavorings, colorings. As for chill or CBD types, they are produced by many other parties, without labels, of unknown origin. The ingredients can be mixed with many different substances, and may even contain substances that affect nerves or drugs," this person said.
According to the seller, users of "pod chill" can feel a stronger, more stimulating effect than conventional e-cigarettes.
With fast transaction methods, mainly through social networks and messaging applications, and on-site delivery, access to products advertised as "pod chill" is still quite easy. This poses many risks when buyers find it difficult to verify the origin and ingredients of essential oils as well as substances in the product.
Warning of risk from "pod chill" containing Etomidate
Recognizing the particularly serious risk, the Government has added Etomidate to the List of Drugs from January 19, 2026, so all acts of producing, trading, transporting, storing, organizing the use or illegal use of Etomidate will be strictly handled according to the provisions of law.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital - said that Etomidate is a substance specifically used in medicine for anesthesia with very strict instructions, requiring doctors to monitor and strictly control the dosage as well as the patient's condition.
According to doctors, putting Etomidate into e-cigarettes for entertainment purposes is particularly dangerous because users cannot know the actual composition and content of this substance in each use.
Etomidate is an anesthetic. When mixed into e-cigarettes and used arbitrarily, users are very likely to fall into a state of overdose, poisoning due to not being able to control the amount of substance inhaled as well as the frequency of use during the day," said Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen.
Doctors said that Etomidate can cause conscious disorders, coma, convulsions, respiratory failure, low blood pressure and be life-threatening. In addition to the acute effects, abuse of this substance can also lead to behavioral disorders, agitation, mood swings, impaired emotional control, and even suicidal thoughts. Some cases also have the risk of endocrine disorders and hypogonadism.
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, the fact that subjects take advantage of e-cigarettes to mix substances such as Etomidate or other chemicals makes it very difficult for users to recognize. This is also the reason why e-cigarettes contain many risks to public health and need to be strictly controlled.
Ho Chi Minh City Police also issued a warning that violators related to Etomidate will be severely punished. Accordingly, first-time use will be sent to compulsory detoxification for up to 24 months. Second-time recidivism will be criminally prosecuted for the crime of "Illegal use of narcotics" with a penalty frame of 2 to 5 years in prison.
The act of inciting one or more people to use together will be prosecuted for the crime of "Organizing the illegal use of narcotics", and the act of buying and selling Etomidate will be prosecuted for the crime of "Illegally trading narcotics".
