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Jess Ma

More than half of drug users in Hong Kong abused illegal substances for at least three years before seeking help, a survey by an NGO has found, with the youngest polled being a nine-year-old who took “space oil”.
The Hong Kong Christian Service, which revealed its results on Thursday, found that 55 per cent of the survey’s 304 respondents only sought help after taking drugs for at least three years. More than a fifth of this group of users had been using drugs for eight years or more before seeking help.
“Our analysis has found an overestimation of user’s ability to get off drugs,” said Samson Yip Wing-yue, the organisation’s service supervisor.
“Underestimating the negative effects of drugs … reduced drug users’ motivation to seek help.”
He added that the negative impression of drug addicts in society also deterred them from seeking help.
The survey was conducted from September to November this year.
The NGO’s social workers said a lack of awareness of the physical and mental toll of drug abuse had contributed to the years-long delay among drug users to seek help.
“Most of the teenagers would not know about the harmful effects of using space oil, so their motivation to seek help is very low,” said Michael Ng Sun-kin, a service supervisor at the organisation.
He added that some drug users were referred to the NGO’s services only after they had come into contact with social workers.
Psychiatrist Matthew Wong Shun-ming said the delayed onset of physical and mental harms from certain types of substance abuse could explain why some users took a longer time to seek help.
But he said others addressed the problem for social reasons only after “the medical, physical and mental problems have already developed over a period of time”.

The survey found that overconfidence was another factor that led to delayed treatment, with 44.7 per cent of respondents saying they believed they could stop taking drugs whenever they wished, while 39.1 per cent believed that drugs would not cause any negative impact on them.
Researchers from the non-profit also warned that the proliferation of space oil, infused with the anaesthetic etomidate and consumed through vaping, had lowered the average age of first contact among drug users in the city.
Etomidate is currently listed as a Part 1 poison under Hong Kong law.
The youngest participant in the survey was a nine-year-old girl who was found taking space oil on campus during lunch breaks. She was later referred to the NGO for treatment by a social worker at her school.
“In our service, we observed the average age of first contact [previously] was more among young adults, meaning 25 to 40 years old. However, with the emergence of space oil, the average age has dropped,” Ng explained.
The survey showed that the average age of drug users’ first contact with illegal substances was 19.5 years old.
But Ng said that statistic did not fully represent the true extent of youngsters abusing space oil in schools, as he had handled many cases of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 taking the increasingly popular drug.
But the chemical has increasingly been mixed into vape oil capsules for sale, with police logging 90 reports in the first 10 months of this year, compared with eight in 2023.
Luna*, 19, said she began taking drugs at 15 as an escape from arguments with her parents. She was introduced to her first drug after being slapped and run out of her home by her mother as punishment for getting back late.
“After taking drugs, my mind went blank. I didn’t have to think [about unhappy things] any more,” Luna recalled.
The teenager had tried Ecstasy pills, cocaine and ketamine before switching to space oil.
Luna said the calming effect of space oil lasted longer than the other drugs, which had caused her to have hallucinations.
She eventually sought treatment after space oil caused her hallucinations to worsen to an “unbearable” level.
But the process of getting off the drug was not easy, as she would feel jitters in her chest when not taking the drug.
Space oil was used by 8.6 per cent of respondents of the survey. The most popular illegal drugs were cannabis and ketamine, both used by half of respondents, while cocaine was used by 48.7 per cent of them.
The Long Term Tobacco Policy Concern Group, formed by smoking supporters, urged authorities to clearly differentiate between space oil and ordinary vaping when communicating with the public.
“I support the government’s tobacco control work, but I am dissatisfied with the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health and relevant tobacco control groups deliberately mixing up space oil and vapes, framing smoking as substance abuse,” Joe Lo Kai-lut, convenor of the group, said on Thursday.
Psychiatrist Willy Wong Chung-hin echoed the group’s concern, adding that most of the space oil addicts he had helped did not have a vaping habit and there was no evidence of vape users switching to space oil.
*Name changed at interviewee’s request


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Crime in Hong Kong

Over half of drug users in Hong Kong take at least 3 years to seek help: survey

Former “space oil” user Luna, 19, shares her experience during a press conference held by Hong Kong Christian Service. Photo: May Tse

(From left) Researcher Jackie Chan, social workers Michael Ng and Samson Yip, and psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Wong at the Hong Kong Christian Service’s press conference announcing the survey results. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong battling ‘space oil’ drug trend, police log 90 cases in first 10 months

In 2023, the force recorded only eight cases involving etomidate, a component of “space oil”, and arrested nine people. Photo: Jelly Tse.

Evidence seized as part of police efforts targeting “space oil”. The drug has quickly become popular among young users. Photo: Jelly Tse

7 arrested in Hong Kong, including teacher, in crackdown on ‘space oil’ drug

Hong Kong customs have seized about HK$17 million of anaesthetic that can be used for producing ‘space oil’. Photo: Sam Tsang

Authorities have updated a drug detection device to identify the anaesthetic etomidate, a raw material used to produce space oil capsules. Photo: Sam Tsang

News

Hong Kong

Society

Youngest respondent in poll by Hong Kong Christian Service is nine-year-old girl who took anaesthetic-laced ‘space oil’


Youngest respondent in poll by Hong Kong Christian Service is nine-year-old girl who took anaesthetic-laced ‘space oil’.


Drugs

Hong Kong society