Police will begin using rapid test kits to detect a regulated sedative from Saturday to tackle the emerging use of the space oil drug.

Chief Inspector of the narcotics bureau Kelvin Cheung said the test will serve as an aid during operations when officers suspect products could contain etomidate, a short-acting anaesthetic normally used as an ingredient for the narcotic.

"The officers will conduct the stop-and-search in an ordinary manner. When they find the vapes, they will conduct enquiries, they will ask questions, and they will also conduct observations before conducting the interception," Cheung said.

"If they, after conducting all the necessary enquiries at the scene, are still unable to form the reasonable belief, and they still suspect that the vapes actually contain etomidate... they will use the test kit."

The kit contains a testing strip used to swab samples of alternative smoking products. It will then be mixed with a solution that can show a positive or negative result in less than a minute.

The accuracy of the test can reach up to 99 percent, Cheung said, adding that the force has procured a sufficient amount of testing kits.

Etomidate is a controlled drug that is prescribed by a doctor and is currently classified as a Part 1 poison.

The number of arrests relating to the controlled drug skyrocketed from eight in 2023 to 206 in the first 11 months of last year. Nearly 23 percent of those arrested last year were people aged below 21, with the youngest being only 12 years old.

Sky, who is said to be about 20 years old, first got a taste of the space oil drug at a bar. Speaking at a police press event, Sky said it looked like a normal e-cigarette. Sky later became addicted to the drug and started experiencing memory loss.

"Sometimes I forgot what I did. I also had errors in my judgement. When my friends saw the traffic light was red, I thought it was green and walked out onto the road," Sky said.

Leo Man, from the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, told the same event that etomidate is very addictive. He said there has been a case where someone taking the drug died after mistaking a window for a door.

The government is planning to list etomidate as a dangerous drug on February 14.

Once listed, those illegally possessing or consuming space oil drugs containing the sedative would face a maximum of seven years in prison and a fine of HK$1 million.

And those trafficking or illegally importing the drug would be liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.