Latest news with #HealthySchoolProgramme
HKFP
3 days ago
- Health
- HKFP
Etomidate to be included in schools' voluntary drug testing in 2025-26 academic year
The Hong Kong government has told schools that etomidate will be included in a voluntary testing scheme under the city's school-based anti-drug programme in the 2025-26 academic year. The Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau said on Tuesday that it had informed schools about the move, weeks after authorities renamed the drug, previously called 'space oil.' 'The procedures for etomidate testing will follow that of other drugs – participating schools may opt for rapid urine tests or hair tests under the current testing procedures, and testing will only be conducted after receiving a student's consent,' the government said in a press release. The Narcotics Division on Tuesday also met with NGOs responsible for administering the drug tests to confirm etomidate testing details, the government added. The drug has been popular among teenagers and is now the third most commonly abused drug among youth under 21 in Hong Kong, behind cannabis and cocaine, according to the authorities. The voluntary testing scheme – under the broader Healthy School Programme, which also provides anti-drug education and activities – aims to help students stop abusing drugs, and the results will not be used for prosecution. The testing scheme also covers ketamine, ecstasy, methylamphetamine, cannabis, and cocaine. Currently, more than half of Hong Kong's secondary schools participate in the programme, according to the government. Etomidate was added to the Dangerous Drug Ordinance in February, putting it in the same ranks as ketamine and cocaine. Possession of etomidate can be punished by up to seven years in jail and a fine of HK$1 million, while trafficking the drug risks life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.
RTHK
25-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year Secretary for Security Chris Tang told lawmakers on Wednesday that the space oil drug test kit that is slated for schools will be different from the one that the police use. Speaking in the Legislative Council, he said the government plans to roll out the kit for schools participating in an anti-drug initiative "Healthy School Programme" in the next academic year. Under the programme, drug tests are voluntary. Tang said the force's test strips, deployed since January, are used for making arrests and the case for prosecutions, and are not the same as those to be used in schools. "We take samples, including urine, hair or saliva, to test for the presence of drugs," he said. "So the objective is quite different. "The Healthy School Programme adopts a rehabilitation orientation." Between 2023 and the end of last month, there were 493 cases involving space oil drug use, Tang said, with around 70 percent of them involving people aged below 21. Lawmaker Dennis Lam asked if the government would consider renaming the drug, saying the current one may cause people to link it with Space X's missions. Tang said the government is now coming up with other names, with one potential candidate, "zombie oil", being based on the effects of taking the drug such as skin ulcers and inflammation.
RTHK
25-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year
Schools to get space oil test kits next academic year Chris Tang says the government is considering new potential names for the space oil drug. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Security Chris Tang told lawmakers on Wednesday that the space oil drug test kit that is slated for schools will be different from the one that the police use. Speaking in the Legislative Council, he said the government plans to roll out the kit for schools participating in an anti-drug initiative "Healthy School Programme" in the next academic year. Under the programme, drug tests are voluntary. Tang said the force's test strips, deployed since January, are used for making arrests and the case for prosecutions, and are not the same as those to be used in schools. "We take samples, including urine, hair or saliva, to test for the presence of drugs," he said. "So the objective is quite different. "The Healthy School Programme adopts a rehabilitation orientation." Between 2023 and the end of last month, there were 493 cases involving space oil drug use, Tang said, with around 70 percent of them involving people aged below 21. Lawmaker Dennis Lam asked if the government would consider renaming the drug, saying the current one may cause people to link it with Space X's missions. Tang said the government is now coming up with other names, with one potential candidate, "zombie oil", being based on the effects of taking the drug such as skin ulcers and inflammation.
