Four new psychoactive substances classified as controlled drugs

Four types of “new psychoactive substances ( NPS)” have been added to China’s list of controlled chemicals, as the authorities step up efforts to crack down on novel narcotics, officials from the Ministry of Public Security ( MPS) announced on Monday.

The MPS, together with China’s top drug and health authorities, added four substances – U- 47700, MT- 45, PMMA, and 4,4’- DMAR – into the supplementary list of controlled non- medical narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, Deng Ming, deputy head of the National Narcotic Control Commission under the MPS, said at a conference held in Beijing Monday.

The NPS include a range of drugs that are designed to mimic established illicit drugs, with similar or even stronger effect on human beings as other illegal drugs, and have become rampant in some 107 countries and regions including the US, Japan and Russia, according to Deng.

The U- 47700 listed by the MPS this time is about 7.5 times stronger than morphine. Up to June 2016, at least 50 deaths in the US were linked to the use of U- 47700. Such deaths were also reported in European countries including Belgium and Sweden, according to the MPS.

The measure will take effect on July 1, according to a statement provided by the MPS to the Global Times.

The MPS also stressed that the methods of payment for drugs have become increasingly complicated and harder to trace, as instant messaging applications like Skype and bitcoins are being used in the process.

The number of NPS listed as China’s controlled chemicals has reached 138 so far. China has scheduled 23 fentanyl- based substances in the controlled list, more than that on the UN list, which is 15, Deng added.