The opening ceremony yesterday for the government’s “Citywide Anti-Drug Week” highlighted the fact that etomidate*, the main active ingredient of a new drug with the street name “space oil”, was added to the controlled drugs list on Tuesday, together with 23 other controlled substances.
The list is a part of the Law on the Prohibition of the Illicit Production, Trafficking and Consumption of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
The “Citywide Anti-Drug Week”, organised by the Judiciary Police (PJ), is being held at NOVA Mall in Taipa from yesterday until July 2, featuring drug specimen exhibits, interactive booth games, anti-drug information display boards and others.
PJ Director Sit Chong Meng said in a speech during yesterday’s ceremony, which marked the start of the seven-day campaign, that 23 substances were added to Macau’s list of controlled substances on Tuesday, while etomidate, which is the main active ingredient and is also known as “space oil”, was also included in the list, adding that Judiciary Police are determined to strengthen public awareness and anti-drug education among the population.
Sit told reporters that early this year, the Judiciary Police purchased advanced testing equipment from a neighbouring region, including rapid etomidate screening kits that can deliver results within a mere three minutes. To respect human rights, these tests will be conducted primarily at police stations whenever feasible, Sit said.
Sit noted that the Judiciary Police have been paying close attention to etomidate infiltration in schools and neighbourhoods, such as through their “Youth Guide to Combat Crime” programme, which aims to leverage peer networks to deliver anti-drug education in schools, adding that investigations last year implicated two youths aged 16–18 in drug-related offences.
Regarding pre-regulatory enforcement, Sit said that five etomidate cases were detected before the substance’s formal prohibition on Tuesday; four cases involved etomidate and other controlled substances listed in the anti-drug law, which enabled prosecution, while one case revealed etomidate residue in an e-cigarette device, in which, however, no suspects were identified.
Concerning new drugs, such as space oil, for which an e-cigarette heating device is usually used to take the drug, Sit said that Macau’s 2022 revised Tobacco Control Law has effectively curbed electronic cigarette usage. According to Macau’s tobacco control law, the manufacture, distribution, sale, import and export of e-cigarettes are prohibited, disrupting a potential channel for new drug consumption.
Sit said that the global drug problem was becoming increasingly complex and variable, with new drugs being increasingly disguised and drug abuse being more and more concealed. Civil society must pay attention to the growing spread of new drugs and the need for deeper understanding of the risks involved, with a view to increasing the capacity of the public, especially young people, to identify, stay away from and resist drugs, Sit said.
According to a Legislative Assembly (AL) statement on Monday, in addition to etomidate, metomidate, propoxate and isopropoxate were also listed in Macau’s anti-drug law, all of which are equivalents of etomidate, and a total of 24 substances subjects were officially added to the list of controlled substances of Macau’s anti-drug law on Tuesday.
*Etomidate is a short-acting, intravenous imidazole-derived anaesthetic agent used primarily for the induction of general anaesthesia and for sedation during short medical procedures. – DeepSeek
Judiciary Police (PJ) Director Sit Chong Meng looks on before speaking to reporters after yesterday’s opening ceremony for the “Citywide Anti-Drug Week” at NOVA Mall in Taipa. – Photos: Ida Cheong
Real drug specimens are displayed during the “Citywide Anti-Drug Week” campaign at NOVA Mall in Taipa.
Attendees join a guided tour of real drug specimens on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the “Citywide Anti-Drug Week” held by the Judiciary Police (PJ) at NOVA Mall in Taipa yesterday.
