
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.

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HKFP
2 days ago
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Hong Kong to change name of drug ‘space oil' to reduce its appeal, security chief says
Hong Kong plans to rename the drug 'space oil' in a bid to reduce its appeal, security chief Chris Tang has said. 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.


South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong considers changing name of narcotic ‘space oil' to ‘zombie oil'
Hong Kong is considering changing the name of the illegal narcotic 'space oil' to 'zombie oil', as lawmakers raised concerns that the current title could romanticise the use of the drug. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Wednesday revealed the plan to rename space oil, whose main ingredient is the anaesthetic etomidate, after hearing feedback from the public. 'Some people shared the view that the name 'space oil' is not that good and could romanticise [its use], we also agree that there is a point there and we will review,' Tang told lawmakers. He said different options were being considered, including just calling the drug 'etomidate'. 'Based on the behaviour after consumption, such as losing sanity, performing indecency in public, jumping into the roads and almost getting hit by cars, developing skin inflammation and ulceration, or having hormone imbalance … some people suggested if we should call it 'zombie oil',' Tang said. 'We are now collecting opinions and hope to set a better name in the short term.'


RTHK
25-06-2025
- 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.