Hong Kong police to roll out rapid testing device for ‘space oil’ ahead of February ban
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong police will roll out a rapid testing device for detecting a newly emerging drug called “space oil,” ahead of its ban amid authorities’ warnings that the narcotic is harming the city’s youth.
Police demonstrated the device at a press conference on Tuesday, local media reported. The device – resembling a Covid test kit – can be inserted into a vape, through which space oil, typically packaged as e-cigarette capsules, is often inhaled. It can detect the drug within 15 seconds with a 99 per cent accuracy rate, police said.
According to media reports, police officers who have undergone the relevant training will begin carrying the testing kits from Saturday and doing tests on “suspicious individuals.”
Hong Kong has stepped up efforts to crack down on space oil in recent months. Containing a short-acting anaesthetic called etomidate, space oil is said by authorities to cause “transient euphoria.”
The drug has gained popularity among the youth, with sellers “even blatantly putting space oil up for sale on social media platforms,” Secretary for Security Chris Tang said last October.
The Narcotics Division has warned that taking space oil can cause “serious physical and mental harm, including addiction, memory loss, seizure, unconsciousness, and even death.”
February ban
Currently a controlled drug, meaning it has to be prescribed by a doctor, etomidate will be banned in the city starting February 14. Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, those convicted of trafficking or illegally importing the drug face up to life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.
Leading up to the ban, the government has embarked on publicity campaigns to educate the public on the harmful effects of space oil. The Narcotics Division has distributed educational pamphlets to schools and collaborated with NGOs to organise seminars.
It has also published an animation as well as a series of videos on the harms of the drug. One video features clips of former users saying they did not think initially that they would get addicted to space oil, and the withdrawal symptoms they experienced when they stopped. Similar videos from the police force are also playing in buses.
See also: NGO warns Hong Kong drug users getting younger, as survey shows 46% started between ages 12 and 17
Authorities have said that space oil has become the third most common type of drug abused by the youth under 21, behind cannabis and cocaine.
Among reported young drug abusers, almost a quarter of them had used space oil, statistics from the first nine months of 2024 showed.
Last month, police arrested 99 people – the youngest being 12 years old – on drug-related offences. Among them, 66 cases involved etomidate.
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