China’s Top Court Issues Drug Crime Guidelines for Minors
China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) has released ten landmark cases and examples establishing clearer judicial guidance on drug-related crimes involving minors, signaling a tougher stance on offenders who exploit young people while also providing pathways for rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. The release, published on June 25 ahead of the 39th International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, conveys a clear judicial principle: “addiction must be punished; offenses against minors must be severely dealt with.”
According to the SPC, Chinese courts concluded 23,732 first-instance drug-related cases in 2025, sentencing nearly 7,400 individuals to imprisonment of five years or more — a severe sentencing rate increase of 4.4 percentage points compared to 2024. While the total number of drug cases fell by more than one-third year-on-year, the court emphasized that the nature of drug crimes is evolving in troubling new directions.
A Shifting Drug Landscape
Liu Weibo, chief judge of the SPC’s Fifth Criminal Division, told a media conference that “while China’s drug situation has continued to improve overall, it has also undergone profound and complex changes.” He noted that cases involving new types of drugs — including anesthetic and psychotropic substances diverted from medical channels and new psychoactive substances — are on the rise.
As reported by China Daily, e-cigarettes containing psychoactive substances have become “a major vehicle for drug abuse among young people.” Liu warned that some substances are disguised as milk tea, chocolate or e-cigarettes, while others are promoted as weight-loss or energy-boosting products.
Zhang Jianzhong, head of the SPP’s Prosecutorial Department for Major Crimes, said that “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 nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) and butane have rapidly increased, he added.
Three Categories of Cases
The ten cases released by the SPC fall into three distinct categories, each sending a specific judicial message.
Severe Punishment for Adult Perpetrators
The first three cases target adults who exploit minors for drug trafficking. In one case, two defendants sold etomidate-laced e-cigarette cartridges directly to two 17-year-olds and employed a 17-year-old to help distribute them, paying the minor in cartridges. In another, a man on probation for a prior drug crime instructed a 15-year-old to sell 54 bottles of diphenoxylate, a Class II psychotropic substance.
Perhaps most striking is the case of a village clinic director who sold dextromethorphan 48 times — 150 out of 185 boxes going to four minors. He received three years’ imprisonment, a fine, and a three-year occupational ban from medical practice. The SPC quoted an ancient Chinese proverb: “Those without constant virtue cannot be physicians,” warning medical professionals that they serve as the “first line of defense” in managing controlled pharmaceuticals.
Warning on Unregulated Substances
Two cases highlight the dangers of substances not yet on China’s controlled drug lists. In one, two unlicensed sellers distributed nitrous oxide packaged as cream chargers, generating over 2.5 million yuan in sales. They sold 14,800 cartridges to 15 minors — one of whom suffered permanent nerve damage and lost the ability to walk normally. The court’s message was unambiguous: “Not being listed as controlled does not mean no harm; profiting from sales will be pursued.”
Another case involved a man who administered excessive pregabalin and guaifenesin to a 17-year-old girl, then attempted sexual assault when she lost consciousness. He received two years and ten months’ imprisonment.
Leniency with Correction for Juveniles
For minors who commit drug offenses, the court applied a “lenient but not indulgent” approach. A 15-year-old student who sold dextromethorphan tablets to peers three times, profiting only 83 yuan, received a suspended sentence with community correction and school follow-up. However, a minor recruited by overseas traffickers to receive cross-border packages containing cannabis gummies and LSD stamps was sentenced to one year and three months without suspension — a deliberate message that minors do not receive automatic leniency.
Broader Implications
The release of these cases serves multiple purposes. It provides standardized guidance for courts nationwide handling similar cases, acts as a deterrent to potential offenders, and signals China’s commitment to closing regulatory loopholes around unregulated addictive substances.
The SPC is currently drafting normative documents on handling new-type drug crimes, which will include specific provisions for cases involving minors. This suggests that more comprehensive regulations are forthcoming as China adapts its legal framework to address the rapidly evolving drug landscape.
According to the People’s Daily, the number of minors involved in drug-related cases fell 32% year-on-year in 2025, with the decline continuing through the first five months of 2026. However, compared with 2023 levels, both the number of cases and the number of minors involved increased by approximately 1.8 times — underscoring the persistent challenge of protecting young people from drug abuse in an era of increasingly diverse and accessible psychoactive substances.
What to Watch For
As China’s courts continue to refine their approach, several questions remain: Will the forthcoming normative documents establish specific sentencing guidelines for different substances? How will the tiered supervision model developed in Suqian, Jiangsu — which has already covered over 1,000 drug-related individuals and reduced regional reoffending by 35% — be scaled nationally? And what measures will be taken to regulate the online platforms used to recruit minors for cross-border drug trafficking?
What is clear is that China’s judiciary is drawing a firm line: those who exploit minors for drug crimes face severe consequences, while young offenders who have gone astray will be given opportunities for rehabilitation — but not without accountability.