The government’s latest proposal to ban all synthetic versions of a space oil drug ingredient can effectively prevent the production of different types of the drug, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Henry Tong said.

The Security Bureau on Tuesday proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues.

Tong told RTHK that he welcomes the bureau’s action.

“That’s an effective way to prevent criminals from keep creating different space oil drugs,” he said.

Tong also appealed to the government to impose a complete ban on the possession of e-cigarettes, which he said are the “main and only device” for young people to take the space oil drug.

“If the government can outlaw the possession of any e-cigarettes in Hong Kong, that sends a very clear message to all the people that e-cigarette itself, the device itself, is illegal and dangerous,” he said.

Tong also said many students became drug users due to various reasons, such as coming from broken families, suffering mental stress or having been bullied by other students.