Seoul City Cracks Down on 15 Medical Institutions for Mishandling Etomidate

A significant number of medical institutions have been caught by Seoul City authorities for the improper management of etomidate, a substance classified as a narcotic.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it conducted a month-long intensive inspection, starting May 20, of 77 medical institutions that handle etomidate in collaboration with local districts. The inspection resulted in the identification of 15 institutions for violations of the Narcotics Control Act and other related regulations.

Etomidate is a medication used to induce general anesthesia and has been managed as a psychotropic drug since February 13 of this year.

The level of oversight was strengthened due to recent cases of illegal use as a substitute for propofol and persistent concerns regarding its abuse.

In fact, the driver involved in the so-called "Lamborghini incident" in 2023, which caused public outcry after he brandished a weapon during a parking dispute, was confirmed to have used etomidate. Furthermore, the emergence of "zombie cigarettes"—vaping liquids mixed with the drug—has heightened public awareness and concern.

The city, along with local districts, organized a task force of approximately 50 inspectors. Working in pairs, they visited 77 medical institutions that had a history of supplying etomidate or had inventory registered in the Narcotics Information Management System.

The inspection uncovered 18 violations of the Narcotics Control Act across 15 medical institutions.

The types of violations included one case of inventory discrepancy, four cases of failure to maintain storage facility inspection logs, and 13 cases of failure to report narcotics handling properly.

The city plans to take administrative action against the violating institutions, including 11 warnings, five suspensions of narcotics handling operations, one fine, and two criminal referrals.

To combat the increasing distribution of illegal narcotics and the abuse of medical-grade drugs, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating a "Narcotics Response Team" since 2023, the first of its kind in the nation.

In observance of the "International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking" on June 26, the city will operate a promotional booth at Seoul Plaza for three days until June 28 to spread messages on preventing the abuse of narcotics in daily life.

"If medical narcotics are not managed with care, it can lead to serious issues such as illegal leakage and abuse," said Cho Young-chang, Director-General of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizens' Health Bureau. "We will continue to conduct inspections to ensure that medical institutions take responsibility for their management and to alleviate public anxiety."

(Photo: Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.