Authorities renew concerns over teenage use of new drugs

Following on Hong Kong’s concerning trend of younger drug users, local police reported discovering two individuals aged 16 to 18 involved in drug-related cases.

In the neighboring region, authorities claim that over 30% of drug usage by youngsters is related to “space oil,” the common name for the drug compound etomidate.

In HK, authorities announced on Wednesday that from January 2023 to May 31 this year, 566 individuals were arrested for illegal possession of etomidate, with 134, or about 21%, under the age of 21. Among the 493 users of the substance, about 70% were also under 21.

In response to the emerging drug situation in neighboring regions, the Legislative Assembly (AL) passed a bill two weeks ago to amend the Anti-Drug Law. This new legislation criminalizes the use of e-cigarettes to consume etomidate, imposing a maximum penalty of one year’s imprisonment upon conviction.

The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, has stated, at the time that after this legislation, e-cigarette liquids containing etomidate will face four layers of regulation under the “Foreign Trade Law,” drug-related laws, tobacco control laws, and the “Narcotics Control Law,” which are stricter than regulations in neighboring countries or regions.

Yesterday, the director of the Judiciary Police (PJ), Sit Chong Meng, told the media on the sidelines of the “Citywide Anti-Drug Week” launch ceremony that since last year, the authorities have uncovered five cases involving etomidate. In four of these cases, other controlled substances were seized, allowing for prosecution and indictment.

“In the remaining case, PJ officers found traces of etomidate in e-cigarettes during their investigation, indicating that someone had used e-cigarettes to inhale etomidate,” Sit added.

The head of the PJ emphasized that earlier this year, the PJ introduced advanced drug testing equipment from neighboring regions, particularly rapid test kits for etomidate, which can effectively determine “if a substance contains traces of this drug in just three minutes.”

With the entering into force on Tuesday (June 24) of the amendments to the “Anti-Drug Law,” etomidate has officially become part of the list of controlled substances.

One day later, the PJ said to fund their first case based on intelligence involving etomidate, having seized multiple bottles of etomidate-containing e-liquid totaling about 635 grams, with an estimated street market value of MOP37,000.

According to the police investigation announced yesterday, a Vietnamese non-local worker, surnamed Bui, began selling etomidate-containing e-liquid to his fellow countrymen about three weeks ago, pricing each small bottle at MOP1,000. The investigation also found etomidate e-liquid, plastic bottles, cigarette cartridges, e-cigarettes, and a significant amount of packaging materials at the 25-year-old suspect’s residence, located in the city’s Central district. Rapid test confirmed the presence of the substance.

According to Sit, in the last 10 years ending in 2024, the number of drug-related cases reported to the police showed a downward trend. In 2014, there were 94 drug-related cases and 111 drug abuse cases. By 2024, drug-related cases had dropped to 49, while drug abuse cases decreased to 15. Over this decade, drug-related cases decreased by 52%, and drug abuse cases saw a significant decline of 87%.

Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) announced on Wednesday that the number of reported drug users in Macau last year totaled 148, a figure that represents a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. The IAS report also noted that seven users were under 21.

Additionally, 446 individuals sought assistance for drug rehabilitation last year, about 16% of whom were new cases.

“This situation [the increasing trend of drug abuse among youngsters] is worrying,” Sit said, emphasizing that authorities are deeply concerned about drug abuse among teenagers. In recent years, he added, remarking that the authorities have been actively bringing anti-drug information into schools and engaging with communities to perform prevention work.

HK considers renaming ‘space oil’

According to Hong Kong media reports, some legislators believe the name “space oil” for Etomidate is “too romanticized”, potentially fostering unrealistic expectations and associations with space travel.

They argued that the matter demands a further review. Authorities have endorsed such remarks, suggesting the drug be referred to only by its scientific name, “etomidate,” or suggested it be renamed as “zombie oil,” based on its symptoms, which include skin ulcers, hormonal imbalances, and muscle spasms.