Macao is one step closer to introducing updates to its anti-drug law, which will see the criminalisation of narcotics such as the new emerging substance known as “space oil.”
In a statement published yesterday, the SAR government’s top advisory body, the Executive Council, said that it had finished drafting a revision to Macao’s anti-drug law, which proposes banning four new substances – etomidate (a common ingredient in space oil), as well as its three analogues, metomidate, propoxate and isopropyl.
The government stated that it recommended regulating these substances, as their emergence in neighbouring areas in recent years has greatly heightened the risk of these products being abused in Macao.
Space oil, which is normally consumed in e-cigarettes and can cause symptoms such as euphoria, addiction and seizure, has become one of the main drugs of choice among young users, especially in Hong Kong.
Macao’s neighbouring SAR has responded to the drug’s spread by banning etomidate and other related ingredients in February. The mainland and Taiwan have also enacted a similar zero-tolerance policy on the drug.
[See more: The government is working to ban the drug ‘space oil’ in Macao this year]
In addition to banning space oil, Macao’s updated drug bill also aims to place restrictions on 20 substances that are currently not listed in Macao’s drug legislation, but are being regulated internationally.
Two of the targeted substances are classified as narcotics and psychotropic drugs, while the remaining 18 are considered to be precursor chemicals for the manufacturing of illicit drugs.
The draft bill now will be sent to the Legislative Assembly for deliberation, with the government recommending that the lawmaking body debate and vote for the revision through an urgent procedure that will fast track the process.
Macao’s drug law was first introduced in 2009 and has undergone various revisions in the years since to cover other types of substances.
Drug abuse in the SAR is punishable by a prison term of up to 15 years in Macao.
