Hong Kong to add etomidate to dangerous drug list in 2025 in effort to crack down on ‘space oil’
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong plans to list a short-acting anaesthetic called etomidate as a dangerous drug next year in an attempt to crack down on its emerging use as a recreational drug, also known as “space oil.”
In a written response to questions from lawmaker Connie Lam on authorities’ plans to crack down on the use of the drug, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said: “We propose bringing etomidate under control of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.”
Tang said the Security Bureau had already consulted the Action Committee Against Narcotics and relevant stakeholders, and hoped to list etomidate as a dangerous drug in the first half of 2025.
“By then, illegal possession or smoking, inhaling, ingesting and injecting ‘space oil’ containing etomidate will be liable to a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$1 million. Trafficking or illegal import of such a substance is liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million,” Tang added.
According to Tang, frontline anti-drug workers first noticed space oil in Hong Kong in 2023, after all Covid-related curbs were lifted. “It had begun to gain traction among local people and some of them even started taking it,” he added.
“Abuse of ‘space oil’ will cause harm to one’s health and lead to addiction,” Tang said. “It will also lure abusers to try other kinds of drugs. Taking ‘space oil’ is equivalent to taking drugs.”
Space oil is often inhaled through vapes and there is no standard formula, though it usually contains etomidate. The anaesthetic is already regulated in Hong Kong and can only be prescribed by a doctor.
According to the police: “Etomidate can cause a number of adverse reactions including decreased blood pressure and muscle twitching… Etomidate may also cause nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle pain, and localised injection site pain.”
In 2023, nine people were arrested over possession of space oil confirmed to contain etomidate, three of whom were under 21. This year, there have been 69 arrests over the illegal sale and possession of space oil containing etomidate, among them 14 people aged under 21.
Earlier this month, the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau, the Hong Kong Poison Control Centre (HKPCC) of the Hospital Authority, and the Counselling Service Centre Division of the Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service organised a seminar for primary and secondary school teachers and social workers to warn against the risks of space oil abuse.
Attendees were urged to “remain vigilant and observant, not to underestimate the vaping of e-cigarettes among students, and refer students at risk to suitable counselling and treatment programmes as appropriate,” according to a government statement.
Calvin Chong, a toxicologist from the HKPCC, told the seminar that long-term abuse of etomidate could disrupt the hormonal balance of its abusers, and the harm resembles that of hereditary diseases.
Police in Taiwan have also started cracking down on etomidate in recent months. In September, two men were arrested with 7.46 kilograms of the anaesthetic, enough to make 85,000 space oil cartridges, according to local media.
Etomidate is referred to as a “zombie drug” on the self-ruled island because of how it affects users.
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