Rise of drug-laced ‘zombie’ vapes which ‘could be spreading to UK’

New drug-laced vapes flagged as a ‘significant’ concern by the UK’s expert body on substance abuse are spreading internationally.

Vape liquids containing etomidate, a sedative used to induce anaesthesia in some countries, have emerged as a popular recreational drug in several Asian countries and New Zealand in recent months.

Sought for its dissociative-like effects, the substance can quickly cause tremors, seizures and loss of consciousness, while studies found repeated use can permanently damage the body’s hormone system.

In Japan, where the vapes are dubbed ‘zombie cigarettes’, local reports describe users – mostly in their teens and twenties – ‘going into convulsions’ and ‘crying out in strange voices’ in public places.

In other countries they are referred to as ‘space oil’ or ‘k-pods’, short for ‘ketamine pods’, an apparent ploy by drug gangs to pass them off as containing another popular recreational drug.

Etomidate is restricted as a prescription-only medication in the the UK, though there is no requirement to routinely test for the compound in commercially-available vapes.

While there is currently ‘limited evidence’ of etomidate abuse in Britain, officials are effectively in the dark on its prevalence, according to the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

‘Due to limited testing of e-liquids seized at the border or by police, the true availability and use of etomidate and related drugs, which are widely reported in Asia and New Zealand to occur through vaping of e-liquids, is likely to be significantly underestimated’, it warned in a report last month.

‘This emerging trend of use elsewhere presents the potential for a significant future public health issue for the UK,’ the report added.

The body of experts is urging ministers to control etomidate as a Class C drug and start routinely testing imported e-liquids and other vape products for it.

New Zealand’s drug watchdog earlier this month revealed a number of people had been hospitalised after using the products.

Another organisation in the country, NZ Drug Foundation, said their drug-checking clinic has been finding etomidate in some vapes handed in to them after causing concerning effects.

Director Sarah Helm told Radio New Zealand: ‘Generally, the risk of overdose is there partly because it wears of quickly, so people might be inclined to take more.

‘It [also] is very hard to measure, particularly if people don’t realise that’s what they’re taking.’

The trend has become a major concern in Singapore, where vaping is banned.

A test of a random sample of 100 confiscated vapes earlier this year found around a third contained etomidate.

Authorities have responded by ramping up punishments for vape use, including jail terms and even caning.

Etomidate-laced vapes are now a major trend in China, where they are believed to have first emerged, starting in the early 2020s.

Official reports linked it to a sharp fall in the availability of ‘mainstream’ drugs like heroin and methamphetamine during the Covid pandemic.

The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended that customs officers, police and Trading Standards officials should be told to ‘submit samples of seized vaping products’ for analyis.

It is calling for more resources for forensic testers to be able to analyse vaping products on a ‘wider’ scale.

Experts also said users and doctors currently have ‘no information’ on the risks of etomidate and called for a public information drive.

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