Starting from July 15th, "veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs will be included in the management of veterinary prescription drugs, and cannot be sold online or advertised. It is strictly prohibited to obtain them under the name of veterinary use for human use. This announcement, jointly issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, clarifies the specific varieties and related management requirements of veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs. The announcement states: "The veterinary anesthetics referred to in this announcement refer to ketamine hydrochloride, morphine hydrochloride, tiretamine hydrochloride, zolazepam hydrochloride, and their formulated products." "The veterinary psychotropic drugs referred to in this announcement refer to the veterinary sodium benzoate, barbiturates, phenobarbital, phenobarbital sodium, pentobarbital sodium, diazepam, caffeine, butorphanol tartrate, xylazine, xylazine hydrochloride, xylazine, and their formulated products." The announcement requires that veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs should be labeled with "veterinary anesthetics" or "veterinary psychotropic drugs" in red font in the upper right corner of their labels and instructions, as well as "veterinary prescription drugs. Words. The background of the words should be white, the words must be prominent and clear, and the size should not be smaller than the generic name of veterinary drugs. The announcement also calls on all levels of agriculture, rural areas, and public security departments to strengthen cooperation and cooperation, establish a communication mechanism for the management of veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs, regularly exchange work information, study and solve problems discovered, promote information exchange, resource sharing, and work collaboration. On June 26th, our newspaper published an article titled "Our Reporter's Secret Investigation: How Animal Anesthetics Became 'Head Electronic Cigarettes'", which reported on the phenomenon of illegal use of animal anesthetics and other drugs as substitutes for drugs, and received widespread attention. The release of this announcement indicates that relevant departments in China attach great importance to drug control work and leave no blind spots Di Bin, the head of the Joint Laboratory of Key Technologies for Drug Control at China Pharmaceutical University and the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission, introduced that the illegal elements have turned to using animal grade narcotic drugs, which has become a new problem facing drug control work. These drug substitutes are highly deceptive and harmful, and excessive use can easily lead to death and disability, posing serious social harm. Veterinary drugs are not allowed to be used on the human body. Bu Shijin, an expert in the Veterinary Drug Evaluation and Consultation Expert Database of the Veterinary Drug Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine of Yangzhou University, stated that veterinary anesthetics and psychotropic drugs are generally produced by specialized veterinary drug factories. These manufacturers are enterprises specifically approved and designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The production and sales of these drugs are mostly customized. Produce as much as the market needs. The flow of all drugs must be clear and traceable, "said Bu Shijin. Animal anesthetics and psychotropic drugs are used by criminals as substitutes for drugs, mainly relying on manufacturers without production qualifications to illegally produce related drugs He introduced that currently, the possibility of illegal individuals misappropriating and abusing veterinary anesthetics and psychotropic drugs in production enterprises, veterinary hospitals, pet hospitals, universities and other units that require related drugs is extremely low. Bu Shijin stated that the announcements issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security require strengthening supervision of production and use processes, and minimizing the possibility of illegal distribution of veterinary anesthetics and psychotropic drugs into society. Next, relevant departments should strictly prevent other types of addictive drugs and drug substitutes from multiple levels, and safeguard a clean and "non-toxic" good social environment. The relevant laws and regulations urgently need to be further improved. Bu Yongqian, a teacher at the College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Jiangsu Agriculture and Forestry Vocational and Technical College, said that animal anesthetics and psychotropic drugs cause huge damage to human tissues, and their abuse as drug substitutes has serious consequences. China is continuously strengthening its supervision in related areas. At present, there is no "Regulations on the Administration of Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs for Animal Use" in China. Veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs are produced, sold, and operated in accordance with relevant laws and regulations such as the Regulations on the Administration of Veterinary Drugs, the Regulations on the Administration of Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Drugs, and the Measures for the Administration of Prescription and Non Prescription Drugs for Veterinary Use. According to the Regulations on the Administration of Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, the state has formulated a "Catalogue of Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances", which divides controlled products into anesthetic drugs, Class I psychotropic drugs, and Class II psychotropic drugs. Among them, the management of narcotic drugs and Class I psychotropic drugs is extremely strict, implementing point-to-point allocation management, while the management of Class II psychotropic drugs is relatively loose. However, some local government management departments have put forward management requirements such as permission system, total quantity control, stricter storage and transportation, and prescriptions different from general drugs. When using, pet hospitals should establish prescription drug management systems and related management systems for use and storage in accordance with the "Regulations on the Management of Prescription and Non Prescription Drugs for Veterinary Use"; There must be records of purchase and use, and no resale is allowed; Special storage facilities and equipment should be configured, with a dual lock system for two people; For expired and expired products, harmless disposal should be carried out in the presence of two or more people, and destruction records should be kept; All drug dosages and scrap quantities should correspond; Keep usage and destruction records for at least two years for future reference. Bu Yongqian stated that the announcement clearly prohibits the sale of animal grade hemp essence drugs on the internet, which should be in reference to the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Drug Network Sales" and further strengthens the management of related animal grade hemp essence drugs. According to the announced list, drugs such as loratadine hydrochloride and selegiline will be included in the regulatory scope. It is worth noting that telmisartan hydrochloride and selegiline are for veterinary use and are not listed in the "List of Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs". Bu Yongqian suggested clarifying the responsibilities of relevant departments, accelerating the construction of the rule of law, and making the management of veterinary anesthetics and psychotropic drugs more refined and standardized. For example, promoting multiple departments such as the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Health Commission to quickly introduce the "Regulations on the Administration of Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs for Animal Use" and the "Catalogue of Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs for Animal Use", increase the supervision of veterinary prescription drugs, and strictly crack down on and punish illegal and criminal activities of abusing veterinary drugs. On June 19, the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission released the Report on the Drug Situation in China in 2023. After three years of bottoming out in the prevention and control of the COVID-19, the drug situation in China showed a steady recovery trend. The abuse of major popular drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and ketamine is on the decline, but the problem of substitution and abuse of addictive substances such as tranquilizers is prominent. Di Bin, the head of the Joint Laboratory of Key Drug Control Technologies of the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission and the China Pharmaceutical University, said that after the COVID-19, under the severe crackdown of the state, it was more difficult to obtain drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine, and drug users turned to narcotic drugs and other addictive substances that were more accessible, less expensive, and had similar effects. Di Bin said that relevant regulatory departments such as the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Health Commission periodically adjust the "Catalogue of Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs" based on the development trend of drug abuse. For example, on September 6, 2023, didacitinib and etomidate were added as Class II psychotropic drugs. On April 30, 2024, dexmedetomidine, compound preparations containing diphenoxylate, nalfenapyr, and chlorhexidine were included in the second category of psychotropic drugs. On June 16, 2024, 46 substances including bromphine were included in the Supplementary Catalogue of Controlled Non Medicinal Anesthetic and Psychotropic Drugs. It can be seen that this adjustment is a normalized adjustment Di Bin stated that as of June 2024, China's controlled drugs include 508 types of narcotics and psychotropic substances. This includes 123 types of anesthetics, 165 types of psychotropic drugs, 220 types of non pharmaceutical anesthetics and psychotropic drugs, as well as two major categories of substances: whole fentanyl and whole synthetic cannabinoids. Di Bin frankly stated that drugs are a special commodity, and their quality and clinical drug safety are related to people's health. The National Medical Products Administration has strict management over the research, approval, production, and sales of human drugs. The management of narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs is subject to supervision by the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Health Commission. However, pet medicine and veterinary drugs used in agriculture and animal husbandry are mainly supervised and managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. During the period when traditional drugs were the mainstream abused species, the scale of veterinary drug abuse was relatively small and did not receive widespread attention. Di Bin stated that the current situation of drug abuse in China has changed, shifting from traditional drugs to new psychoactive substances and narcotic drugs. With the increasing variety of narcotic drugs under regulation, criminals have extended their evil hands to the field of veterinary medicine. In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued a notice to block this phenomenon and trend, strengthen the management of veterinary anesthetics and veterinary psychotropic drugs, prohibit online sales and advertising, and strictly prohibit obtaining them under the name of veterinary use for human use. Di Bin stated that currently, China's drug problem is generally controllable, and the drug situation is generally improving, but at the same time, new problems are also intertwined. In addition to traditional drugs, various new psychoactive substances, narcotic drugs, and substances with addictive properties that have not yet been regulated are cross used among the abused population. In addition, various types of new drugs are diverse and their structures undergo rapid changes. After a certain drug is listed for regulation, criminals will quickly use or produce new varieties with similar structures and functions that are not included in the regulatory catalog. Di Bin suggested that drug control work needs to be comprehensively addressed, with a combination of "blocking" and "relieving" measures. While making every effort to "ban planting, prohibition, prohibition of smoking, and prohibition of trafficking", basic scientific research on anesthetics and psychotropic drugs in China should be strengthened, and investment in scientific research projects and funding should be increased in this direction, especially in the study of neuroscience mechanisms related to addiction. If we can produce original and disruptive achievements from scratch, it will have a significant impact internationally, because developed Western countries are also deeply troubled by the drug problem. The scientific research results obtained are not only beneficial to China's drug control cause, but also a valuable asset for all mankind Di Bin said. (New Society)