On the 4th, the State Council Information Office released the white paper "China's Control of Fentanyl-like Substances". The full text is as follows:
China's Control of Fentanyl-like Substances
(March 2025)
State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China
Table of Contents
Foreword
1. Scientifically and accurately define fentanyl-like substances
2. Ensure rational use of drugs and strict control
3. Severely crack down on fentanyl-like substance crimes in accordance with the law
4. Strictly control fentanyl-like substance precursors
5. Accelerate the development and application of scientific and technological means
6. Take multiple measures to improve the overall control efficiency
7. Promote global co-governance of fentanyl-like substances
Conclusion
Foreword
Drugs are a public hazard to human society, and the governance of drug problems is related to the future and destiny of mankind. At present, the international drug tide continues to spread, and the types, production, and abusers of drugs around the world are increasing, posing a serious threat to human survival and development. In recent years, the problem of synthetic drugs represented by fentanyl-like substances has been fierce, and the harm it has brought to the international community has become increasingly serious, bringing new challenges to global drug governance. In particular, the serious social problems caused by the uncontrolled fentanyl in some countries have given us a profound warning. If fentanyl-like substances are not strictly prevented and controlled, they will spread and seriously endanger public health, affect economic development and social stability.
The Chinese nation has suffered from the harm of drugs, and the Chinese people have a deep understanding of drugs. After the founding of New China, we have persisted in the fight against drugs and persevered in solving the drug problem. In recent years, China has attached great importance to the control of fentanyl-like substances, prepared for a rainy day, made overall plans, adopted comprehensive measures, and systematically governed. It has strictly supervised fentanyl-like drugs, strictly prevented the abuse of fentanyl-like substances, and severely cracked down on the smuggling, production and trafficking of fentanyl-like substances and their precursor chemicals, and achieved remarkable results. China has strengthened international anti-drug cooperation, carried out pragmatic dialogues and exchanges, joint investigations and experience sharing, promoted the establishment of a cooperative relationship of equality, mutual trust, and win-win cooperation, and carried out in-depth cooperation with relevant countries including the United States in dealing with the problem of fentanyl-like substances and their precursors and achieved remarkable results.
China's strengthening of the control of fentanyl-like substances is an effective measure to prevent the potential harm of new drugs. It demonstrates the concept of drug control that is people-centered and protects the health and well-being of the people, and demonstrates the responsibility and commitment of actively participating in global drug governance, promoting global co-governance of drug problems, and safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of all mankind.
This white paper is released to comprehensively introduce China's work and achievements in controlling fentanyl-like substances and share China's innovative control experience.
1. Scientifically and accurately define fentanyl-like substances
Fentanyl is a substance that can act on opioid receptors in organisms to produce anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is a new type of powerful narcotic analgesic with an effect that can be 100 times that of morphine. It is often used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain and is a narcotic drug controlled by the United Nations. Fentanyl was first synthesized by Belgian pharmacologist Paul Janssen in 1960 and then produced by Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Belgium. It began to be widely used in Europe in the mid-1960s, and the United States approved fentanyl for medical use in 1968. Since then, sufentanil, remifentanil and alfentanil have been developed and marketed one after another. Together with fentanyl, they have become the four fentanyl drugs currently used for medical purposes in the international community. Common dosage forms include injections, transdermal patches, sublingual tablets, nasal sprays, etc.
By simply modifying a certain atom or group in the chemical structure of fentanyl, fentanyl derivatives with similar structures, similar effects or even stronger effects can be obtained. Most of these substances are retrieved by criminals from academic articles published by pharmaceutical companies, or designed to circumvent legal control. At present, nearly 100 fentanyl substances have been found to be abused worldwide, and their potential number may be as high as tens of thousands. Except for the four fentanyl drugs, the remaining fentanyl substances have not been found to have medical value. They are mostly mixed with drugs such as heroin and cocaine for abuse, which makes people feel euphoric like opioid drugs. At the same time, their anesthetic and sedative effects will affect the central nervous system of the abuser. Overdose can lead to coma, respiratory depression and even death.
In the announcement on the entire category listing of fentanyl-like substances issued by China on April 1, 2019, it was clarified that "fentanyl-like substances" refer to substances whose chemical structure meets one or more of the following conditions compared with fentanyl (N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-N-phenylpropionamide): using other acyl groups to replace propionyl groups; using any substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aromatic group to replace the phenyl group directly connected to the nitrogen atom; the presence of alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy, ester, ether, hydroxyl, halogen, halogenated alkyl, amino and nitro substituents on the piperidine ring; using any other group (except hydrogen atom) to replace phenylethyl. China innovatively introduced the concept of "like substances" and rigorously and scientifically clarified the legal definition of "fentanyl-like substances", which not only ensured that the definition covered all varieties that needed to be listed, provided a strong legal basis for combating and punishing fentanyl-like drug crimes, but also minimized the impact on legitimate needs in the fields of medicine, industry, scientific research, etc. Fentanyl-like substances are obtained through chemical synthesis. The chemical raw materials used to make fentanyl-like substances are collectively referred to as precursors of fentanyl-like substances. The synthetic routes of chemical substances are diverse, with strong selectivity and substitutability. In recent years, the precursors of fentanyl-like substances have been constantly changing and the varieties have continued to increase. 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (English abbreviation "4-ANPP") and N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (English abbreviation "NPP") are the two most direct precursors of synthetic fentanyl-like substances. In March 2017, the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs included them in Schedule I of the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (hereinafter referred to as the "1988 Convention") for control. In the same year, China included them in the Schedule "Classification and Variety Catalog of Precursor Chemicals" of the "Regulations on the Management of Precursor Chemicals" for control. As the two fentanyl precursors 4-ANPP and NPP have been brought under control, criminals have been researching and updating the synthesis process to evade legal sanctions. They have used a variety of precursors such as 4-(N-phenylamino)piperidine (English abbreviation "4-AP"), 1-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-4-(N-phenylamino)piperidine (English abbreviation "1-boc-4-AP"), N-phenyl-N-(4-piperidyl)propionamide (English name "Norfentanyl") and 4-piperidone (English name "4-piperidone"), 1-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-4-piperidone (English abbreviation "1-boc-4-piperidone") to synthesize fentanyl substances, posing challenges to the fight against the smuggling and trafficking of fentanyl precursors.
2. Ensure rational use of drugs and strict control
Currently, there are four fentanyl drugs approved for marketing in China, namely fentanyl, sufentanil, remifentanil and alfentanil, and there are only two dosage forms: transdermal patch and injection. In the 1970s, China began to approve the production of fentanyl drugs for medical use: fentanyl injection was approved in 1974, remifentanil injection was approved in 2003, sufentanil injection and fentanyl transdermal patch were approved in 2005, and alfentanil injection was approved in 2020. Compared with traditional opioids such as morphine and pethidine, the above-mentioned fentanyl drugs have the advantages of fast onset, strong efficacy, long duration of action, few adverse reactions, and fast recovery from anesthesia. They are widely used in surgical anesthesia induction and maintenance, postoperative and labor analgesia, and relief of cancer pain, effectively ensuring the accessibility of rational drug use for the people. According to statistics, fentanyl drugs have accounted for about 66% of the market share of narcotic drugs and first-class psychotropic drugs in China.
China has included fentanyl drugs in the "Catalogue of Narcotic Drugs" and has implemented strict control over the relevant production, operation, use and export links.
- The production link implements enterprise-designated and annual plan management. At present, China has approved five designated fentanyl drug production enterprises, namely Yichang Renfu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sinopharm Group Industrial Co., Ltd. Langfang Branch, Jiangsu Enhua Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Henan Lingrui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Changzhou Siyao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The relevant enterprises must comply with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for pharmaceuticals, be equipped with complete human, material and technical safety management facilities, and must strictly organize production in accordance with the annual plan determined by the State Drug Administration, and regularly report the production, sales and inventory of fentanyl drugs to the drug supervision and management department. In 2023, Chinese enterprises produced 9.89 kg of fentanyl API, 4.702 kg of sufentanil API, 5.805 kg of alfentanil API, and 64.572 kg of remifentanil API, totaling 84.969 kg. In addition, in 2006, China approved Xi'an Janssen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. as one fentanyl drug importer, which was limited to importing one dosage form of fentanyl transdermal patch.
--The business link implements enterprise designated point and limited circulation management. At present, there are three national wholesale enterprises that have obtained designated point operation qualifications for fentanyl drug business in China, namely Sinopharm Group Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holdings Co., Ltd., and Chongqing Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.; 626 regional wholesale enterprises (2023). Fentanyl drug manufacturers sell fentanyl drugs to three national wholesale enterprises, which are then purchased by provincial regional wholesale enterprises and distributed to medical institutions in their provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Pharmaceutical retail enterprises are not allowed to operate fentanyl drugs. In 2023, China will sell 20.86 kg of fentanyl APIs, including 2022 inventory, 5.21 kg of sufentanil APIs, 6.84 kg of alfentanil APIs, and 63.06 kg of remifentanil APIs. China has not found any cases of fentanyl drugs being lost in the production and circulation links.
—— Strictly implement medical institution management measures during the use link. China strictly manages the use of fentanyl drugs. Medical institutions implement management systems such as doctors prescribing, patients registering with real names, double locks for two people, and "new with old" to prevent malpractice cases. At the same time, strengthen information communication between law enforcement and management departments, timely discover problems and weak links, and plug management loopholes. Since 2017, China has cracked down on three cases of fentanyl drug trafficking, and no smuggling or trafficking of fentanyl drugs abroad has been found.
—— License management is implemented at the export link. The National Medical Products Administration implements a licensing system for the export trade of fentanyl drugs. On the basis of strict review, it actively conducts international verification with the competent authorities of the importing countries. Each batch of export trade must be confirmed by the competent authorities of the importing country for legality before issuing a narcotic drug export permit. At present, only Yichang Renfu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. exports fentanyl drugs. In 2023, China exported 9.766 kg of fentanyl drugs, mainly to South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines in Asia, Chile, Panama, Colombia, Paraguay in Latin America, and Poland, Germany, France and other countries in Europe. No fentanyl drugs of any variety and dosage form have been exported to North America.
China actively promotes the construction of an information-based traceability system for fentanyl drugs, and comprehensively utilizes new technologies and means such as electronic tags, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence to dynamically monitor and manage the production, operation, transportation, use, import and export of fentanyl drugs throughout the process, and further effectively prevent the loss of fentanyl drugs.
III. Severely crack down on crimes involving fentanyl-related substances in accordance with the law
China actively responds to new challenges of fentanyl-related substances, and adopts comprehensive measures such as increasing the number of controlled substances, strengthening daily supervision, increasing the intensity of investigation and arrest, and innovating control methods to prevent the abuse of fentanyl-related substances to the greatest extent possible, and crack down on and rectify illegal and criminal activities involving fentanyl-related substances to the greatest extent possible.
-Timely increase the number of substances. China actively fulfills the obligations of the States Parties to the United Nations "Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961" and "Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971", and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the domestic "Regulations on the Administration of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances" and "Regulations on the Control of Non-Medicinal Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances", promptly puts the substances controlled by the United Nations decision under domestic control. In the 2013 edition of the "Catalogue of Narcotic Drugs", 13 fentanyl-related substances are controlled. In the Supplementary Catalogue of Controlled Non-Medicinal Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Drugs, six fentanyl-like substances including acetylfentanyl were listed in October 2015; four fentanyl-like substances including carfentanyl, furanylfentanyl, acryloylfentanyl and valerylfentanyl were listed in March 2017; and two fentanyl-like substances including tetrahydrofuranylfentanyl and 4-fluoroisobutyrylfentanyl were listed in September 2018. Before the whole category of fentanyl-like substances was listed, China had already listed 25 fentanyl-like substances, which exceeded the number of substances listed by the United Nations at that time.
——Innovation of whole category listing. China actively explores the way of drug governance. In dealing with the problem of fentanyl-like substances, it stands at the height of maintaining the health, safety and well-being of all mankind, actively responds to the concerns of the international community, and takes precautions in advance to deal with the potential risks and hazards of new drugs when the actual domestic hazards are not prominent. On April 1, 2019, China issued a notice to list fentanyl-like substances as a whole category, which was officially implemented on May 1 of the same year, becoming the first country in the world to implement the whole category listing of fentanyl-like substances. China's whole category listing of fentanyl-like substances is more scientific, stricter and wider in scope than other countries' analogue listing, skeleton listing, temporary listing and other mechanisms. In addition, the "Implementation Plan for the Whole Category Listing of Fentanyl-like Substances" was formulated and implemented, top-level design and overall planning were strengthened, and a variety of measures such as monitoring and early warning, daily supervision, law enforcement, publicity and education were comprehensively adopted to effectively strengthen the control of such substances.
——Improve legal protection. After a lot of literature research, scientific experiments, expert demonstrations and other work, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security have studied and formulated opinions on several issues such as the applicable law for handling criminal cases involving fentanyl substances. The Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security have studied and formulated regulations on the standards for filing and prosecuting fentanyl-related crimes. The Ministry of Public Security has formulated and issued a fentanyl-related substance dependence conversion table to clarify the standards for filing and prosecuting fentanyl-related crimes and the standards for conviction and sentencing, providing a basis and guarantee for relevant law enforcement and judicial work.
——Maintain a high pressure on crackdowns. Public security organs have cracked down on fentanyl-related crimes in accordance with the law. After fentanyl-related substances were listed as a whole category in May 2019, the Ministry of Public Security has organized special operations to crack down on new drug crimes such as the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl-related substances for three consecutive years; in 2023, it organized a special cleanup operation for fentanyl-related substances, and worked with customs departments to increase the inspection of goods and articles exported from key ports, focusing on the inspection of goods and articles exported to key countries; worked with the State Post Bureau to carry out a 100-day special operation to tackle express logistics, consolidate the supervisory responsibilities of the competent departments and the main responsibilities of express delivery companies, establish a joint inspection mechanism, and strengthen intelligence analysis and special case investigation. After fentanyl-related substances were listed as a whole category, China has not seized any criminal cases of smuggling and trafficking fentanyl-related substances abroad.
- Strengthen online cleanup. In response to the situation where criminals publish illegal sales information of fentanyl-like substances and their precursors on online platforms, the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission, together with relevant competent departments, urges Internet chemical platforms to implement systems such as user real-name registration, information release review, online information inspection, and harmful information disposal reporting. It is strictly forbidden to publish sales information of suspicious chemicals, and any problems or clues found will be reported to the public security organs in a timely manner for disposal in accordance with the law. The public security organs organized a cleanup and rectification of online fentanyl-like substances and their precursor chemicals. As of June 2024, more than 140,000 illegal advertising information were blocked and deleted, and 14 online platforms were closed for rectification.
IV. Strict control of fentanyl-like precursors
China has established a complete legal system and management system for precursor chemicals, forming a legal system based on the Regulations on the Management of Precursor Chemicals, the Measures for the Production and Operation Permit of Non-pharmaceutical Precursor Chemicals, the Measures for the Purchase, Sale and Transportation of Precursor Chemicals, the Measures for the Management of Pharmaceutical Precursor Chemicals, the Regulations on the Import and Export of Precursor Chemicals, and the Regulations on the International Verification of Import and Export of Precursor Chemicals. Public security, commerce, emergency management, health, customs, drug supervision and administration and other departments shall, in accordance with their duties, add fentanyl precursors to the list and supervise their production, operation, purchase, transportation and export activities.
--Scientific implementation of the list. Taking into account the social production needs and the risk of leakage, chemicals that may be used to manufacture fentanyl substances shall be included in the scope of precursor chemicals supervision in a timely manner. China has listed 5 fentanyl precursors, including 4-ANPP, NPP, 4-AP, 1-boc-4-AP, and Norfentanyl. All fentanyl precursors that the United Nations will control before 2024 have been listed. 4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone, which will be controlled by the United Nations in 2024, are being promoted for domestic listing.
--Graded and classified supervision. According to the Regulations on the Management of Precursor Chemicals, 4-ANPP and NPP are managed as Class I precursor chemicals. Enterprises applying for production and operation must be approved by the emergency management department of the provincial people's government, and those applying for purchase must be approved by the public security organs of the provincial people's government. Applications for transportation must be approved by the public security organs of the municipal people's government. 4-AP, 1-boc-4-AP, and Norfentanyl are managed as Class II precursor chemicals. Within 30 days from the date of production and operation, production enterprises must file the varieties and quantities of production, and operating enterprises must file the varieties, quantities, and main flows of operation with the emergency management department of the municipal people's government where they are located. Purchase and transportation activities must be approved by the public security organs of the county people's government where they are located.
-- Strict export supervision. Strict approval and licensing and international verification systems are implemented for the five listed fentanyl precursors. Before the Ministry of Commerce approves the export license, the Ministry of Public Security will first send a verification request to the competent authorities of the importing country's government through the International Narcotics Control Board Pre-Export Notification (PEN) system. After receiving the verification results confirming the legality, the Ministry of Commerce will apply for export licenses for relevant enterprises in accordance with the law. When exporting, the customs department will handle customs clearance procedures based on the export licenses declared and provided by the enterprises. Since the above five fentanyl precursors were listed, no domestic enterprises have applied for export records.
- Realize information-based closed-loop supervision. A national information system for the management of precursor chemicals has been established for free use by enterprises, realizing the operation of the national precursor chemical management data "one network". The Ministry of Public Security and 11 other departments issued the "Guiding Opinions on Establishing an Information-based Traceability System for Precursor Chemicals" to promote the establishment of a product identification and traceability supervision system for precursor chemicals, and realize dynamic and full-process monitoring of their production, operation, purchase, transportation, import and export. At the same time, we pay attention to the role of industry associations, implement credit rating management, and promote corporate self-discipline.
As the international community continues to improve the implementation of the relevant provisions of the 1988 Convention, controlled chemicals are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Foreign criminals continue to update their drug-making processes and use more non-listed chemicals to make drugs. In particular, they take advantage of differences in chemical control laws between countries to purchase non-listed fentanyl precursor chemicals through online connections, international parcel delivery, virtual currency payments, etc., and evade regulatory crackdowns, which has become a prominent challenge facing the current governance of fentanyl substances. China pays close attention to this and has taken a series of powerful measures, including monitoring and early warning, online inspections, key rectification, and issuing notices, to strive to prevent non-listed chemicals from flowing into illegal channels abroad.
V. Accelerate the development and application of scientific and technological means
China has conscientiously implemented the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs Resolution 58/9, "Promoting the role of drug analysis laboratories worldwide and reaffirming the importance of the quality of analysis and results of such laboratories", and continuously improved the technical capabilities and application level of drug analysis. It has achieved a large number of innovative results in the fields of inspection and identification, monitoring and early warning, and hazard assessment, providing strong technical support for the control of fentanyl-like substances.
-Build a drug laboratory system covering the whole country. Since its establishment in 2008, the software and hardware facilities of the China National Drug Laboratory have been continuously developed and improved. It has reached the international advanced level in the fields of screening and analysis of new psychoactive substances, drug abuse monitoring based on sewage and hair samples, evaluation of addictiveness and harmfulness of new drugs, and preparation of reference materials. In order to meet the needs of the whole-class listing of fentanyl-like substances, the construction of five regional sub-centers of the National Drug Laboratory in Beijing, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Shaanxi was started in 2019. By June 2021, all of them will be completed and put into use with high quality and high standards. 16 provincial-level drug laboratories and 92 municipal-level drug laboratories have been built nationwide, with a total area of about 71,000 square meters and more than 650 professional and technical personnel of various types. At present, the "1+5+N" drug laboratory system, led by the National Drug Laboratory, supported by five regional sub-centers, and grasped by provincial and municipal drug laboratories, has been initially established, providing comprehensive support for the timely discovery, accurate identification, comprehensive monitoring and scientific control of fentanyl-like substances from a technical level.
-Innovation in active discovery and early warning. In view of the fact that new psychoactive substances such as fentanyl-like substances are emerging in an endless stream and are rapidly updated, the China National Drug Laboratory has established an unknown substance screening system based on chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy and spectral analysis technology to sample and analyze suspicious samples found by public security, customs, postal and other departments. The world's first nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum monitoring technology, based on the fact that nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (Note 1) is needed to confirm the chemical structure of products in the development process of new psychoactive substances such as fentanyl, has included more than 1,000 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers across the country into the scope of control, regularly collects the generated nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and compares them with the parent library, and screens suspicious spectra involving fentanyl-like substances and precursor chemicals, providing clues for tracing related illegal manufacturing and trafficking. Since 2012, more than 10,000 suspicious samples and more than 2 million nuclear magnetic resonance spectra have been screened and analyzed, and a total of 21 fentanyl-like substances and more than 350 other new psychoactive substances have been newly discovered.
- Comprehensive monitoring of abuse. The China National Drug Laboratory explores the distribution of the main metabolites of fentanyl-like substances and other drugs after abuse in the human body, determines the detection time window of different biological samples such as blood, urine, saliva, hair, and nails, and establishes a high-throughput laboratory detection method for efficient detection of potential abusers. Based on high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology, a detection method for trace drugs in sewage has been developed. The target objects include 6 fentanyl-like substances and other 65 drugs and their metabolites, with a quantitative limit of 1 ppt (Note 2), and a drug consumption assessment model based on sewage analysis data has been constructed. Relying on the drug experimental technology system, an urban domestic sewage monitoring network covering nearly 5,000 sewage treatment plants in 365 cities and a biological sample monitoring network covering high-risk groups have been established. Since 2020, a total of more than 60,000 urban domestic sewage and more than 150,000 hair samples have been screened and analyzed.
——Improve inspection and identification capabilities. The China National Drug Laboratory has formulated relatively complete technical specifications for drug inspection and identification and a public security industry standard system. The analysis targets cover all discovered fentanyl-like substances and their precursors. The National Drug Laboratory has developed new psychoactive substance standards including fentanyl-like substances and standard spectral libraries, and distributed them to drug laboratories at all levels for research and use, continuously improving the qualitative and quantitative detection level of fentanyl-like substances, and providing evidence support for the investigation and prosecution of fentanyl-like substance cases.
——Carry out dependency experimental evaluation. The China National Drug Laboratory has established a method for evaluating the addictiveness and harmfulness of fentanyl-like substances based on experimental animal models and multiple in vivo and in vitro experimental methods. The addictiveness of 25 fentanyl-like substances has been evaluated through experiments such as self-administration, conditioned place preference, behavioral sensitization, and drug discrimination. At the same time, the acute toxicity of the above-mentioned substances in various different ways of administration has been evaluated through in vitro neurotoxicity experiments and different routes of administration simulating humans. After converting the addictiveness and harmfulness with the positive control drug heroin, a credible and internationally recognized fentanyl-like substance abuse risk database has been formed, and a dependency conversion table for 25 fentanyl-like substances has been published based on this, providing a scientific reference for the prosecution and conviction and sentencing standards of drug cases involving fentanyl-like substances.
VI. Take multiple measures to improve overall control effectiveness
China gives full play to its political and institutional advantages, and adopts comprehensive policy, legal, administrative, economic, and social measures around the control of fentanyl-like substances, strengthens the leadership of the Party and government, and the coordination of departments, promotes industry self-discipline and social participation, and effectively prevents the risks and hazards of fentanyl-like substances.
- Tighten the responsibility for drug control. China deploys drug control work from an overall and strategic perspective, formulates a responsibility assessment method for areas with serious drug problems, and clarifies the responsibilities of governments at all levels for drug control. It requires all localities to keep a close eye on key areas such as biopharmaceutical R&D centers and chemical and pharmaceutical parks that have high risks of developing synthetic drugs such as fentanyl-like substances, organize special forces for in-depth inspections, identify key enterprises, key personnel, and key equipment, register information, and keep an eye on them. For those who have formed outstanding risks due to insufficient attention to their work and lack of understanding of the situation, they will be urged to make rectifications within a time limit through interviews, notifications, and supervision. Those who cause serious problems and adverse effects will be held accountable in accordance with relevant regulations.
- Strengthen coordination and linkage among departments. The Cyberspace Administration of China, the Public Security Bureau, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments have strengthened Internet supervision, urged Internet chemical platforms to strengthen user real-name authentication, concentrated on rectifying websites and instant messaging platforms with prominent drug-related illegal and criminal information, and shut down columns and terminated services in accordance with the law. The postal administration department has strengthened the supervision and guidance of express delivery companies, and has paid close attention to the implementation of the three systems of "receiving and sending inspection, receiving and sending under real name, and passing through machine security inspection", and has increased the intensity of inspection and investigation in a targeted manner. The customs department has continuously strengthened risk assessment and port supervision, and has increased the intensity of inspection of high-risk goods and items in a targeted manner to strictly prevent the smuggling of fentanyl-related substances. The health, market supervision, drug supervision and other departments have worked together to jointly clean up and rectify medical institutions involved in fentanyl, and actively prevent and control the risk of abuse of fentanyl-related drugs.
——Carry out professional education and training. In 2019, the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission issued the "Notice on Preventing Illegal Crimes of Non-Medicinal Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Drugs and Drug-Making Articles", reiterating relevant anti-drug laws and regulations and penalties, and reminding enterprises and individuals to operate in accordance with the law. In 2023, the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission issued another notice to remind enterprises and citizens to enhance their legal awareness and be vigilant against the use of exported goods in the manufacture of drugs and the legal risks they may face. The Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission produced and issued a series of posters on the prevention of new drugs such as fentanyl-like substances, and carried out professional training to educate and guide relevant practitioners to master the inspection and identification methods, and improve their awareness and ability to prevent risks and discover problems.
——Enhance the awareness of prevention by the whole people. With the theme of preventing the abuse of addictive substances such as narcotic drugs, psychotropic drugs and fentanyl-like substances, we will carry out extensive publicity on drug prevention by the whole people, mobilize the forces of various departments, and carry out concentrated publicity and education activities on drug prevention. With young people as the main target, we will comprehensively, scientifically and systematically popularize the knowledge of addictive substances such as fentanyl-like substances, deeply reveal the serious harm of abuse, and educate and guide young people to firmly establish a sense of prevention. We will carry out drug prevention education activities for students in schools nationwide and publicity and education activities to prevent young people from abusing addictive substances such as narcotic drugs, popularize high-quality publicity and education materials, and spread the concept of "healthy life, green and non-toxic". In 2023, more than 100 million young students from more than 230,000 schools across the country participated in the National Youth Anti-Drug Knowledge Competition to learn and answer questions, and more than 40 million viewers watched the competition finals through live broadcast on the Internet.
VII. Promote global governance of fentanyl-like substances
At present, the global fentanyl-like substance problem is getting worse. According to the early warning system data of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, since 2013, 46 countries around the world have reported the discovery of a total of 86 fentanyl-like substances, accounting for 64% of the total number of synthetic opioid substances reported (Note 3). The World Drug Report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime shows that the number of deaths from overdose due to abuse of fentanyl-like substances in North America continues to increase, and fentanyl-like substance trafficking occurs from time to time in Europe and other regions (Note 4). According to the data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, the number of deaths from overdose due to abuse of synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl-like substances, will reach 75,000 in 2023, accounting for nearly 70% of all drug overdose deaths, becoming the main cause of death for adults aged 18 to 45 in the United States (Note 5). In 2022, EU countries reported the seizure of 2.7 kg of fentanyl, 168 liters of liquid fentanyl, 8,435 fentanyl tablets, and 6.5 kg of carfentanyl. At least 163 drug abuse deaths were related to fentanyl-like substances (Note 6).
China adheres to the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, conscientiously fulfills its international drug control obligations, adheres to the principles of shared responsibility and comprehensive balance, advocates mutual assistance and shared development among countries, opposes mutual accusations and shirking of responsibilities, and while doing a good job in its own drug control work, firmly maintains the current international drug control system, fully and deeply participates in important decisions in the field of international drug control, and actively provides Chinese wisdom and solutions for global drug governance.
- Promote bilateral and multilateral exchanges. Actively develop drug control cooperation relations with countries and international organizations around the world, and play an active role in jointly addressing new challenges in global drug governance such as the fentanyl problem. China has signed 50 intergovernmental and interdepartmental anti-drug cooperation documents with more than 30 countries and national alliances, established an annual meeting mechanism with 13 countries, joined multilateral anti-drug cooperation mechanisms such as the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the BRICS anti-drug cooperation, and continuously deepened all-round trust and cooperation with various countries in the field of drug control. China actively participated in a series of global drug governance projects such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's "Global Synthetic Drug Monitoring, Analysis, Reporting and Trends Project (SMART)", the International Narcotics Control Board's "Ion Project", and the "Partnership for Action to Stop the Illegal Distribution and Sale of Opioids", strengthened international exchanges on the types and trends of abuse of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl-like substances, and was committed to jointly addressing hot and difficult issues in the field of international drug control.
- Carry out Sino-US anti-drug cooperation. Sino-US anti-drug law enforcement cooperation is the focus of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries. China's principled position on anti-drug law enforcement cooperation with the United States is very clear. It is willing to cooperate on the basis of equality and mutual respect, but firmly opposes illegal sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the grounds of the so-called fentanyl issue. The drug control law enforcement departments of both sides jointly cracked the drug smuggling, manufacturing and trafficking cases of Wang Mouxi and others, the drug smuggling and trafficking cases of Chen Mouping and other major cases, arrested the relevant criminal suspects in their respective territories and sentenced them according to law (Note 7), becoming a successful example of case cooperation between Chinese and American law enforcement departments. On January 30, 2024, the first meeting of the China-US Anti-Drug Cooperation Working Group was held in Beijing, clarifying the priority cooperation items in the field of drug control between the two sides; since then, the two sides have held high-level meetings many times to pragmatically promote dialogue and cooperation in the fields of drug control and law enforcement between the two countries. On July 31, 2024, the Chinese inter-departmental delegation went to the United States to attend the first senior officials meeting of the China-US Anti-Drug Cooperation Working Group to accumulate mutual trust in cooperation. The Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of China maintains daily hotline contact and conducts regular exchanges and meetings with drug control departments such as the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice of the United States and the Homeland Security Investigations Bureau. Since 2024, the two sides have exchanged and interacted more than 100 intelligence clues (times), and jointly investigated and handled many cases involving Du Mougen, Tong Mouji, Huang Moucheng and others, making breakthrough progress.
- Strengthen the control of precursors. In compliance with international rules, China uses the International Narcotics Control Board Pre-Export Notification (PEN) system to strengthen international verification of key precursor chemicals such as fentanyl precursors; and uses the International Narcotics Control Board Pre-Export Notification (PENLIGHT) system to strengthen verification and information exchange of non-scheduled precursor chemicals. Actively participate in the International Narcotics Control Board's global precursor chemical control operations, and proactively conduct international verification of some precursor chemicals that are controlled by China but not yet listed internationally to reduce the risk of loss. Promote the implementation of bilateral precursor chemical exchange and cooperation mechanisms between China and the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, and establish a China-Mexico Precursor Chemicals Working Group in 2023 to strengthen policy exchanges, share intelligence information, and jointly carry out transnational law enforcement operations. While protecting legal trade, resolutely curb the illegal loss of precursor chemicals. On September 6, 2024, the second China-Mexico Precursor Chemicals Working Group Meeting was held in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. The meeting adopted the "China-Mexico Precursor Chemicals Working Group Working Rules" and meeting minutes, laying a solid foundation for China-Mexico drug control cooperation, especially precursor chemical law enforcement and exchange and cooperation.
-- Carry out technical exchanges. Actively carry out technical exchanges with drug control technical departments of various countries, share experiences and practices in the fields of fentanyl-like substance inspection and identification, abuse monitoring, and hazard assessment, and jointly respond to the risks and challenges that fentanyl-like substances bring to global drug governance. Hold a sewage monitoring technology seminar, and exchange drug sewage monitoring technologies including fentanyl-like substances with drug control technology experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EU Drug Agency), Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN countries. Convene several meetings of drug control technology experts from China and the United States, establish a mechanism for exchanges between Chinese and American scientists, and share drug detection practical technical experience with drug control technology experts from the White House Office of National Drug Policy, the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice, the Customs and Border Protection Agency and other departments. Since 2024, many technical exchanges have been carried out to explore strengthening technical support to deal with the fentanyl problem and continue to promote cooperation in the field of technology.
Conclusion
Fentanyl-like substances threaten human health, safety, welfare and social development and progress. Solving the problem of fentanyl-like substances is not something that can be done by one country alone, but requires the joint efforts of the international community. China has a "zero tolerance" policy for drug problems, including fentanyl-like substances, and maintains active offensive and severe crackdowns. It deepens system governance and source governance, continuously improves the drug governance system with Chinese characteristics, and deepens the people's war on drug control in the new era to achieve a stable and positive situation in the fight against drug control.
Deepening the governance of fentanyl-like substances is not only an important measure to prevent and respond to new risks and challenges of drug problems in advance, and to protect the physical and mental health of the people, but also an important manifestation of actively participating in global drug governance and maintaining global security and stability. China will, as always, firmly fulfill its commitment to drug control, fully fulfill its responsibilities and obligations, adhere to comprehensive and balanced drug control measures, improve the listing of substances, increase the intensity of investigation and arrest, strengthen monitoring and early warning, strengthen technical support, and innovate control methods to resolutely curb the illegal manufacture and smuggling of fentanyl-like substances.
The practice of global drug governance has proved that only by carrying out comprehensive, comprehensive and balanced drug control measures can we effectively deal with drug problems. The problem of synthetic drugs, including fentanyl-like substances, is even more difficult to achieve a fundamental solution simply by listing substances or reducing supply. Cooperation forms synergy, and joint governance can lead to win-win results. China advocates that the international community adhere to equal treatment and win-win cooperation, and strive to enhance the political will and practical actions to solve the global drug problem; adhere to systematic governance and source governance, fully recognize the importance of the concept of reducing demand and supply, further analyze the deep-seated reasons for the breeding of synthetic drug problems represented by fentanyl, and promote the solution of fundamental problems; adhere to openness and inclusiveness, build and share together, uphold the spirit of cooperation and trust, promote innovation in concepts and actions, carry out practical cooperation in the governance of fentanyl, jointly respond to new challenges of drug problems, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind that is not harmed by drugs, and jointly maintain and promote the harmonious progress of human society.