Don’t accept candy or snacks from strangers, don’t drink beverages left unattended, and don’t take e‑cigarette cartridges handed to you by others

Today’s illicit drugs no longer look like typical drugs. “High‑inducing” e‑cigarettes laced with synthetic cannabinoids can be tinted and flavored to match ordinary e‑cigarettes, and they are deliberately offered to people in bars, KTVs, and hotels. Those who trick others into using them face 10–15 days of detention and fines of 1,000–5,000 yuan. Anyone who is deceived into using them also gets detained for 10–15 days. Always replace any drink that has been left unattended.

No cost at all. Never accept anything offered by others. If your own cup has been out of sight, simply get a new one.

Since July 1, 2021, synthetic cannabinoids have been regulated as a whole class of controlled substances. They are often mixed into e‑cigarette liquid to create “high‑inducing” cartridges. According to Supreme People’s Procuratorate reports, this liquid can be colored and flavored with food‑grade dyes to closely resemble regular e‑cigarette liquid. Sellers promote these products in bars, KTVs, and hotels, encouraging others to use them. In that region, nearly 40% of drug‑use cases that year involved minors. Starting October 1, 2023, etizolam was added to the list of Schedule II psychotropic substances. Tricking someone into using drugs is itself illegal: offenders face 10–15 days of detention and fines of 1,000–5,000 yuan; if a crime is proven, sentences range from under 3 years up to 7 years, while forced use can bring a 3–10‑year sentence, with harsher penalties for minors. Users also incur penalties: 10–15 days of detention and fines up to 3,000 yuan, or a lighter penalty of 5 days or less plus a fine under 1,000 yuan. They may also be barred from entertainment venues for 6 months to a year. Addicted individuals must undergo 3 years of community‑based rehabilitation; refusal or relapse leads to 2 years of compulsory isolation, extendable by another year (as of January 2026, Public Security Administration Punishment Law).

This advice applies not only in entertainment venues but also at school gates, friend gatherings, and on long‑distance buses. It works whether the offering is candy, a drink, or an e‑cigarette cartridge. After being drugged, victims often suffer robbery, sexual assault, or extortion; no official statistics exist on this, so it remains an empirical warning. Replacing any drink that has been out of sight is far simpler than trying to rectify the situation later. For handling unknown powders, tablets, or cartridges encountered in such settings, see item 3 of this section; for carrying items on behalf of others, see Section 8, item 29.

最高人民检察院 (2021). 江苏苏州吴江区：办案检察官揭秘披着潮流外衣的新型毒品. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202110/t20211011_531831.shtml；国家药监局、公安部、国家卫生健康委 (2023). 关于调整麻醉药品和精神药品目录的公告（2023 年第 120 号）. https://yjj.sh.gov.cn/qtgzwj/20230911/3b612c94e35b4b63abba314c972a2593.html（上海市药监局转载，原文页 nmpa.gov.cn 在本机返回 412）；全国人大常委会 (2025). 治安管理处罚法（2025 年修订，第二十、八十四、八十五条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml；全国人大 (1997). 刑法（第三百五十三条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml；全国人大常委会 (2007). 禁毒法（第三十三、三十八、四十七条）. http://www.gd.gov.cn/zwgk/wjk/zcfgk/content/post_2520706.html（广东省人民政府转载）