Aaron Kwok fronts new government campaign to combat etomidate abuse

The Security Bureau and the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) have launched a new anti-drug publicity campaign targeting etomidate featuring local pop star Aaron Kwok.

Also known as "Listen to me: Let's stand firm. Knock drugs out!" (聽我講：一齊企硬　唔take嘢), the campaign has adopted a bright, stylish, and positive tone to encourage the public to choose a healthy lifestyle and stay away from drugs. 

As part of the campaign, new TV and radio public service announcements starring Kwok depict scenarios in which young people are lured via social media into taking or trafficking etomidate, highlighting the drug’s serious impact on physical and mental health.  Through the dancers' perseverance and hard work in pursuing their dreams, the video reminds youths to follow the right path and resist the temptation of drugs, and conveys the message "Etomidate: Not once not ever". It finally calls on the public to "Listen to me: Let's Stand firm. Knock drugs out!"

Furthermore, advertisements and publicity materials bearing the slogans "Etomidate: Not once not ever" (依托咪酯 一次都唔好試) and "Listen to me: Let's stand firm. Knock drugs out!" will appear everywhere across major public transport facilities, large outdoor billboards, and at the entrances of cross-harbour tunnels, cinemas, housing estates, schools, and government premises. They will also be pushed to mobile phone users via popular mobile applications and websites. 

Additionally, information about etomidate has also been uploaded to the Narcotics Division's (ND) dedicated webpage for public reference.

To further engage with the public, the government launched a publicity event on Tuesday (17 March) featuring Kwok at Ocean Terminal, Harbour City. Joining the event as the honourary anti-drug commissioner, Kwok said that it is worrying to see young people abusing etomidate or taking part in its trafficking, either out of ignorance or greed. He feels the call of duty and responds to it by wielding his influence among the public so that anti-drug messages can be brought to everyone. He has invited several young people who are passionate about dancing to participate in the filming of the new promotional video.

In addition to the new publicity video, there are four major public-education initiatives to be launched by the ND for 2026. These include a pop-up anti-drug game booth, which will tour various shopping malls and schools across Hong Kong starting next month, and a family yoga event to promote a healthy lifestyle, to be held in April and May across the territory. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to the Security Bureau for more information. 

Don’t miss: HK authorities tap Aaron Kwok in anti-drug publicity campaign

In recent years, the government has been adopting a multipronged approach in its fight against drugs, leveraging creative and diversified publicity strategies to strengthen public awareness, particularly among young people.

For example, back in August last year, the Hong Kong authorities debunked the misconceptions surrounding drugs with a new anti-drug publicity campaign, featuring Kwok. Also known as "Anti-drug, new era", the campaign aimed to give the public a clear understanding of the harmful effects caused by etomidate, which included "zombie-like" symptoms such as seizures, mental confusion, skin ulcers and loss of body control. Being in this terrible state in public strips abusers of all dignity, and their lives could be tainted.

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