Drug crimes involving minors to feel the heat

China's top court and procuratorate vowed on Thursday, ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, to intensify punishment for drug crimes involving minors, including cases whereby offenders instigate, lure or deceive minors into drug use or trafficking, as well as crimes that target minors.

The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate also pledged tougher action against the illegal production and sale of unregulated addictive substances. Both bodies said harsh penalties will be imposed on upstream crimes such as smuggling, manufacturing and the large-scale trafficking of new drugs, warning that teenagers have become a major group affected by such substances.

The SPC said the number of minors involved in the aforementioned and related cases both fell by 32 percent year-on-year in 2025, with the decline continuing between January and May this year, signaling initial progress.

However, compared with 2023, both figures increased by about 1.8 times in 2025, while the abuse of unregulated addictive substances as substitutes has become more prominent.

Liu Weibo, chief judge of the SPC's Fifth Criminal Division, said substances involved in such cases are becoming more diverse. They include narcotic and psychotropic drugs diverted from medical institutions and pharmacies, as well as substances smuggled from overseas.

Some are disguised as milk tea, chocolate or e-cigarettes, while others are promoted as products for weight loss, energy-boosting or aphrodisiac effects, or are used in sexual assault-related crimes, Liu said.

E-cigarettes containing psychoactive substances are particularly common among minors and have become a major vehicle for drug abuse among young people. Some teenagers obtain such substances out of curiosity, excitement or peer influence, while others are lured, coerced or deceived into using them, he said.

Courts have stepped up punishment for core drug-related crimes involving minors, especially smuggling, manufacturing and the large-scale trafficking of new drugs. Severe penalties will also be imposed on offenders who use narcotics or addictive substances to rape or threaten young people, Liu said.

For juveniles involved in drug crimes, courts will impose tougher penalties on those with strong malicious intent or repeat offenses, while leniency may be considered for first-time offenders, those misled into drug use or those coerced into crime. The SPC is also drafting a judicial document on handling new drug crimes, with specific provisions for cases involving minors.

Zhang Jianzhong, head of the SPP's prosecutorial department for major crimes, said traditional drug crimes have continued to decline under sustained crackdowns, but some offenders have shifted to addictive substances not yet under official control to evade punishment.

Cases involving the production, sale and abuse of substances such as nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas", and butane have rapidly increased, Zhang said. Such substances are deceptive and concealed; they can easily appeal to teenagers' curiosity, leading to abuse and faster spread among minors.

Procuratorates will continue to crack down on the illegal production and sale of such substances, with a focus on crimes involving the instigation, inducement or deception of minors into abusing them, Zhang said.

In a typical case released by the SPP, a minor bought e-cigarette cartridges containing etomidate and related controlled psychotropic substances in Suqian, Jiangsu province, between July and October 2024, then transported them to Changzhou, Jiangsu, for use and sale.

The minor and others sold 415.5 e-cigarette cartridges, collecting more than 212,800 yuan ($31,300) from sales. Several defendants were later convicted of drug trafficking or both drug trafficking and transportation, with sentences ranging from five months' detention to four years in prison, along with fines.

In response to the involvement of both minors and adults in drug trafficking and use, local authorities developed a tiered supervision and governance model covering family and school discipline, supervised care, public security penalties and criminal punishment. To date, it has covered 1,068 drug-related individuals, with 985 corrected at an early stage and returning to normal social activities. The regional drug-related reoffending rate fell by 35 percent during the same period.

Contact the writers at yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn