Hong Kong to change name of drug ‘space oil' to reduce its appeal, security chief says
Speaking at an anti-drug event on Sunday, Tang said that the authorities would soon give the illegal narcotic a new name because 'space oil' glamorises the drug.
Space oil is the street name for a substance containing the short-acting anaesthetic etomidate, which was included under Hong Kong's dangerous drugs law in February, placing it in the same category as drugs like ketamine and cocaine.
At the Sunday event, the security chief likened the appearance of space oil users to 'zombies' and said the government would make an official announcement on the new name soon.
During a meeting with lawmakers last month, Tang suggested calling the substance 'zombie oil' to better reflect its effects on users.
Space oil, which is usually inhaled through vaping, has gained popularity among Hong Kong youth as it is cheap, convenient, and delivers an instant high.
It has become the third most commonly abused drug by the city's youth under 21, behind cannabis and cocaine, according to the authorities.
'Space oil drug'
In February, the government renamed 'space oil' as 'space oil drug' to clarify 'its nature as a dangerous drug and its harmful effects.'
Lawmaker and ophthalmologist Dennis Lam said at a Legislative Council meeting last month that the name 'space oil' had 'unnecessarily romanticised' the drug, adding that the authorities referred to cocaine, for instance, by its scientific name instead of the street name 'coke.'
The drug began gaining popularity in 2023. Until the end of May this year, the police force and customs authorities have arrested a total of 566 people for unlawful possession of etomidate, of whom 134 were young people under the age of 21, according to the Security Bureau.
The city's drug abuse registry also recorded 493 instances of space oil abuse, involving 356 people under 21.
With etomidate currently under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, offenders face up to a fine of HK$1 million and seven years' imprisonment for possessing space oil, or a fine of HK$5 million and life imprisonment for trafficking.
The anaesthetic was previously regulated by the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, under which offenders may face a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and a two-year jail sentence.
In March, lawmakers proposed setting up a reporting mechanism to flag space oil sellers, but Commissioner for Narcotics Kesson Lee said the authorities had no plans for a hotline, as young people were too 'rebellious' for such a system to function well.
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