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Former Idol Under Investigation for Possible Used of Etomidate

A former idol member is now under investigation for the possible use of etomidate.

The substance, called the "second propofol," is being misused as it is legally regulated. SBS reported on "8:00 News" on the 27th, "The police summoned a celebrity from an idol group as a drug case witness for a case opened late last month and is now being questioned. "We were investigating an illegal dealer who sold marijuana and the general anesthetic inducer etomidate without a prescription, but there were signs that the former idol was involved," the report continued.

"I have never bought or used drugs, and I have only looked into buying etomidate," the idol said in the police investigation. The idol was drug tested through hair strands, which can effectively detect drug use compared to blood tests, wherein the results came out as negative . The artist's agency also gave their statement and claimed, "We have been prescribed and administered etomidate for treatment purposes, but we have never purchased it illegally."

Etomidate, a white general anesthetic, is also called "Duyujusa" because it is similar in many ways to propofol called "milkjusa." The method of use is similar, so it is consumed as a general anesthetic in sleep endoscopy. As propofol was designated as a psychotropic narcotic drug in 2011, management was strengthened; there has been a constant problem of misused etomidate as a substitute drug.

In response, the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office considers designating etomidate as a drug in consultation with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In March, singer Wheesung shocked the people around him when he was found lying down while administering etomidate, which he illegally purchased, in a bathroom of a commercial building in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

Wheesung collapsed after two more shots of it, and a police investigation found that he had purchased a total of 26 bottles of Etomidates on three occasions from the sales plan. Such a drug requires a doctor's prescription because it can cause side effects such as respiratory failure if administered more than the required dose. As seen in Wheesung's case, it is also highly addictive.

In Florida, USA, a man who committed racially motivated murders was the first person to be placed on lethal injection. He used etomidate to kill his victims way back in 2017. The mentioned drug was a replacement of midazolam as it was harder for the US state to acquire one after pharmaceuticals refused to produce one.