National Anti-Drug Office: Strengthening Crackdown on "Headed E-Cigarette

National Anti-Drug Office News: Recently, the National Anti-Drug Committee office, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jointly issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Crackdown on Illegal Activities of 'Up Head E-cigarettes'" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), to deepen the crackdown on e-cigarettes related to drugs and banned substances. This is in line with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on drug control work, and aims to provide strong support for strengthening departmental cooperation and systematically solving the problem of "Up Head E-cigarettes.

Currently, the misuse of new drugs and alternative substances such as "over-the-top e-cigarettes" containing mephedrone and synthetic cannabinoids among adolescents is escalating rapidly, seriously endangering the physical and mental health of the public, especially young people. In order to further strengthen the overall guidance for cracking down on "over-the-top e-cigarettes" and resolutely combat the phenomenon of e-cigarettes containing drugs and illegal substances, and to tightly prevent and effectively curb the misuse of "over-the-top e-cigarettes" among adolescents, the National Narcotics Control Committee Office, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jointly formulated this "Opinion.

The Opinion explicitly states the need to further strengthen the division of responsibilities among various levels of anti-drug offices, public security agencies, and tobacco monopoly departments in cracking down on "Shangtou e-cigarette" illegal activities, establishing communication mechanisms, enhancing departmental collaboration, and coordinating efforts to combat illegal activities. Firstly, it aims to crack down on illegal production and sales of e-cigarettes in accordance with the law. Secondly, it focuses on systematically addressing the illegal addition of drugs and alternative substances in e-liquids. Thirdly, it seeks to severely punish the illegal manufacture of new types of drugs and alternative substances such as mephitazine. Fourthly, it aims to promptly investigate and address the registration of smoking "Shangtou e-cigarettes." Finally, it aims to clean up and crack down on illegal activities related to "Shangtou e-cigarettes" on the internet.

The "Opinion" points out that public security organs and tobacco monopoly departments should establish a sound cooperation mechanism, strengthen information sharing, enhance situation reporting, case transfer, and information sharing, etc.; improve law enforcement cooperation, strengthen law enforcement linkage, focus on tracing and cracking down on illegal production and operation of e-cigarettes, illegal production of e-cigarettes related to drugs, and form a joint force; strengthen cooperation on monitoring drug substitute substances added to "overseas e-cigarettes", regularly summarize, analyze, evaluate, comprehensively grasp the information of illegal additive substances in "overseas e-cigarettes" and the situation of abuse.

The Opinion emphasizes that drug control offices, public security organs, and tobacco monopoly departments across the country should strengthen their responsibilities and establish a clear, coordinated, and efficient system for combating and managing, enhancing their capabilities to combat "upcoming e-cigarette" and new type of drug crimes; strengthen publicity and guidance, widely use various media to conduct propaganda on the harm of "upcoming e-cigarette" and drug control laws and regulations among young people; fully leverage the technical advantages of national drug laboratories and branches to provide technological support for combating illegal crimes related to "upcoming e-cigarette".