The fact that nine Chinese college students were admitted to the hospital after smoking e-cigarettes purchased online has recently renewed the concern of the Chinese public on the safety of e-cigarettes. According to the pictures of the incident reported by the media, the e-cigarette “caused” was marked with the word “TETRA”, or pointed to the cannabis extract Tetra Hydro Cannabinol.
According to CCTV reports, in addition to the tobacco ingredients, this e-cigarette also contains synthetic cannabinoids, which makes many people unconsciously addicted to the “sweetness” brought by cannabinoids. As a traditional drug, marijuana has always been strictly controlled in China, but synthetic cannabinoids have been in a regulatory blind spot for a long time. It is also under this situation that someone took advantage of this loophole and mixed the actual useful ingredients of marijuana into electronic cigarettes dressed in legal clothes.
Some Chinese criminals who produced this “top e-cigarette” have been arrested. However, it is a pity that the Chinese police can only file a case against them on the grounds of illegal business operations, not drug trafficking. The reason is as mentioned above – according to the original drug identification standards, synthetic cannabinoids are not within the scope of drug control in China. In this case, the Chinese law can only impose relatively light sanctions on the gang involved in illegally adding substandard ingredients to the e-cigarette. For this behavior that is essentially the same as spreading drugs, this is obviously not a heavy enough price.
What is gratifying is that just a few days ago, on May 11, China’s National Narcotics Control Office officially announced that China would list synthetic cannabinoids as a whole. At the press conference, Deng Ming, deputy director of the National Narcotics Control Office of China, introduced: Synthetic cannabinoids are less costly than marijuana, easier to obtain, and can produce more intense euphoric and hallucinogenic effects, and have now become one of the most diverse and most seriously abused of the new psychoactive substances. The entire category of its listing can help the relevant departments to respond to the real danger and potential threat of such substances in a timely manner, to curb their manufacture and abuse.
In the past, when most people think of drugs, they probably think of the notorious “older ones” such as marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and ecstasy. However, in recent years, a variety of new types of “drugs” have emerged in many ways, which have long exceeded the cognition of ordinary people in China. The reason for putting the word “drugs” in quotes here is that many of these chemical synthetics were introduced just before they could be placed on the control list by the drug authorities. But in actual effect, these chemical compounds fully meet the definition of drugs, and may even be more harmful than some traditional drugs.
Source: China Youth Daily Client, etc.