Hong Kong is planning to rein in rampant abuse of the drug known as “space oil”, which is experiencing a dramatic surge in the city.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is proposing to introduce rapid testing for the drug starting Saturday and fully revise relevant laws in February.
In a televised program on Thursday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said the government will table amendments to the law on Feb 14 to classify etomidate — the primary substance in “space oil” — as a controlled substance.
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“Space oil”, which can cause severe hallucinations, is often concealed in e-cigarettes for inhalation, which makes it hard to detect if it is used in public, Tang said.
Tang expressed hopes that the legislative amendments will educate the public on the addictive and neurologically damaging nature of “space oil” drugs, emphasizing that they are not for recreational use.
To combat the surge of drug abuse, police officers will begin carrying rapid test kits for “space oil” starting this Saturday. The kits have an accuracy rate close to 100 percent.
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Kelvin Cheung Ka-wing, chief inspector of the Hong Kong Police Force’s narcotics bureau, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the new testing kits would assist officers in swiftly and accurately distinguishing “space oil” drugs from e-cigarettes, enabling the immediate apprehension of suspects.
In the first 11 months of 2024, local authorities recorded 141 cases relating to “space oil”, in which 206 people were arrested, marking a nearly 25-fold increase from 2023. The youngest arrestee was 12 years old, according to the police. Of the others, 47 people, or 23 percent were under 21 years old.
Cheung revealed that “space oil” has surged to become the third most abused drug among under-21s in Hong Kong since the first half of 2024.
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He said there had been a staggering increase in abuse last year, with 141 cases recorded by November, compared to just seven in 2023.
Cheung explained that officers only need to place the kit’s test paper at the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette, and within 10 to 15 seconds, they can determine the presence of “space oil”.
Once the law is revised, trafficking the substance will incur a fine of up to HK$5 million ($642,000) and life imprisonment.
Regarding the testing for “space oil”, Tang explained that law enforcement officers will request testing based on individuals’ reactions and reasonable suspicion of involvement with the substance.
