Fentanyl Photo:VCG

China will regulate 449 anesthetic and psychotropic drugs starting July, including fentanyl-related substances, officials at China's National Narcotics Control Commission announced on Thursday, making China the country that regulates the most narcotics worldwide.

In the face of newer and more deceitful drugs, China is going to regulate those drugs starting July 1, as the country's special laboratories for testing narcotics have been put into use, which will greatly boost the country's ability to detect new types of drugs such as fentanyl, Liang Yun, deputy director of China's National Narcotics Control Commission, said at a Thursday conference.

Liang said that China's narcotics department is very responsible, as they stepped up surveillance and scientific evaluation of all sorts of drugs, be they traditional drugs or new types.  

State Councilor Zhao Kezhi, also director of the China National Narcotic Control Commission, inspected the Beijing regional center of the national anti-drug laboratory. Such labs are also open in four other cities - Zhejiang, Guangzhou, Sichuan and Shaanxi. Those labs can greatly boost the country's ability to detect new types of drugs, including fentanyl-related substances. 

China has made continuous efforts to crack down on new psychoactive substances, after it started regulating all fentanyl-related substances in 2019. The commission announced in May that it will regulate all cannabinoid substances, making China the first country in the world to do so.

Liang also said that the authorities found 1.8 million people used drugs nationwide, a decrease of 30 percent compared to 2016. A total of 64,000 drug-related crimes were registered in 2020, almost halved compared to 2016 when 128,000 cases were reported. 

China has been actively participating in narcotics control activities in cooperation with other countries. It has deepened its cooperation with the US, Russia and Myanmar, and has also initiated dialogue with Europe on this issue, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday after the conference, which said that relevant countries expressed deep gratitude for China's contribution to the international effort to deal with drugs. 

Global Times