Editorial | Hong Kong must move fast to stamp out scourge of ‘space oil’ narcotic

The deaths last month of two Hong Kong teenagers after suspected use of the narcotic “space oil” underscore the urgency of a problem that has resisted tougher laws and stepped-up awareness campaigns. One victim was a 17-year-old declared dead after his parents found him unconscious in his bedroom.

The other was a 16-year-old boy who died after suspected use of the drug supplied by a friend, aged 17, who was arrested the next day.

Last year, the city recorded at least three fatalities. Amid an alarming surge in the use of the drug, officials have scrambled to respond. In February, the city reclassified four “space oil” ingredients as dangerous drugs. The move increased the maximum penalties for possession to seven years in jail and a fine of HK$1 million (US$127,390). A trafficking conviction could result in a life prison sentence and a HK$5 million fine.

Public education campaigns warn of potential memory loss, seizures, loss of consciousness, even death. A local study identified a possibly fatal condition among teenagers in which levels of certain important hormones were drastically reduced.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung has announced that the authorities would start using the term etomidate instead of “space oil”, saying the substance must be “properly” named to prevent people from forming any positive associations with the drug. Tang said police had intercepted 250,000 vape cartridges with the drug since January, compared with 7,000 in the same period last year.