Hong Kong authorities warn that e-cigarettes could be tools for drug abuse

Devices could be used to consume illegal substances or products with higher concentrations of nicotine that cause greater addiction

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Different designs of disposable e-cigarette devices displayed by health authorities at a press briefing on Wednesday. Photo: Elizabeth Cheung

Published: 5:38pm, 27 Nov 2024Updated: 8:11am, 28 Nov 2024

Hong Kong health authorities have warned that e-cigarettes are increasingly becoming a tool for drug abuse as the devices can be filled with narcotics and used without being easily detected.

The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office under the Department of Health said on Wednesday it had recently handled some cases in which e-cigarette cartridges of “space oil” appeared the same as those containing liquids of other products.

“Those cartridges containing illegal drugs look no different from those with ordinary e-liquid,” said Dr Fung Ying, the head of the office.

The Department of Health said e-cigarettes had become increasingly popular among drug users globally as the effects of aerosol inhalation could be felt within seconds, with chemicals absorbed into the blood even more quickly than through oral consumption or intravenous injection.

Space oil, which has rapidly become one of the most in-demand drugs in the city, is commonly enclosed in e-cigarette capsules and contains etomidate, an anaesthetic that requires a doctor’s prescription. Etomidate is currently classified as a Part 1 poison.

The warning was made after the government announced in June 10 proposed measures to lower the city’s smoking rate, including amending the law to ban the possession of alternative tobacco products. This would mean banning the possession of e-cigarettes and the use of flavoured cigarettes, including flavoured shisha.