13 new substances added as matter of urgency to the list of forbidden drugs

A list of 13 substances was approved for addition to Macau’s list of forbidden drugs yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL).

In what is likely the last plenary session of this legislative year, lawmakers were called to debate and approve the amendments as a matter of urgency, since the government did not want to wait until October for the amendments to be approved, noting that such a delay could pose a risk to the territory.

The new additions prohibit the production, transportation, sale and consumption of six internationally controlled substances that have been classified worldwide as narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as seven new types of drugs similar to etomidate (commonly known as space oil) that are not internationally controlled substances.

In the presentation, Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King explained that the updates to the list of forbidden substances aimed, on the one hand, to fulfill Macau’s obligations under international conventions and, on the other, to proactively address the risks posed to public health by new types of drugs that, he said, can endanger the public’s physical and mental health and safety.

A common characteristic of the substances added to the list, which lawmakers unanimously approved, is that they are consumed through electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or vapes.

On the topic, in response to questions from lawmakers Che Sai Wang and José Maria Pereira Coutinho, Judiciary Police (PJ) Director Sit Chong Meng added that Macau has adopted an intelligence-led strategy to combat drug crimes and is in constant contact with neighboring authorities and other countries.

Lawmaker Che asked about the fact that the drugs are all related to e-cigarettes and whether Macau authorities are able to effectively control the use of such devices despite repeated amendments to the relevant laws.

Sit also said that since Macau included etomidate in its controlled substances list in June this year, a total of three related cases have been detected, with around 600 grams of powder and approximately 4.302 grams of liquid seized.

As for the 13 new types of drugs now included in the control list, Sit noted that there are no records of any of these substances having been detected in Macau.

Noting the difficulty of addressing the bill without a detailed discussion by a committee, Pereira Coutinho remarked that, in his opinion, the bill should be very detailed and specific regarding the reference to the forbidden substances, as the term “etomidate analog drugs” is mentioned at one point and, in his opinion, could lead to confusion later.

Responding to Che’s comments about e-cigarettes, Secretary Chan noted that a significant number of new drugs are being consumed and trafficked through e-cigarettes, which is why regulations governing these devices were recently amended to strengthen controls in this area.