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

4. 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

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

In plain terms: 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.

Benefit: 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).

Evidence grade: A

Sources: Supreme People's Procuratorate of China (2021). Wujiang District, Suzhou, Jiangsu: The prosecutor reveals the new drugs disguised as trendy. <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202110/t20211011_531831.shtml>; State Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Security of China, National Health Commission of China (NHC) (2023). Announcement on Adjusting the Catalog of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Drugs (No. 120 of 2023). <https://yjj.sh.gov.cn/qtgzwj/20230911/3b612c94e35b4b63abba314c972a2593.html> (Reprinted by Shanghai Food and Drug Administration, original page nmpa.gov.cn Return in this machine 412); National People's Congress Standing Committee (2025). Public Security Administration Punishment Law (revised in 2025, Articles 84, 85). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml>; National People's Congress (1997). Criminal Law (Article 353). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml>; National People’s Congress Standing Committee (2007). Anti-Drug Law (Articles 33, 38, 47). <http://www.gd.gov.cn/zwgk/wjk/zcfgk/content/post_2520706.html> (Reprinted by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province)

Notes: 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.