MFDS Announces Preliminary Designation of 7 Temporary Narcotics Including Opioid-Class Substances

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 26th that it will announce the temporary narcotics designation for seven substances in the opioid class of narcotic analgesics, including '2-Methyl AP-237.'

The temporary narcotics designation system is a system that manages and controls substances that are not currently classified as narcotics but are abused as substitutes for narcotics in the same way as narcotics for a certain period. Considering the effects on the central nervous system and similarity to narcotics, substances with relatively high potential for physical and mental harm are classified as Group 1, and others as Group 2. Since its operation began in 2011, currently 10 substances are designated as Group 1 and 76 substances as Group 2. Of the 221 substances designated so far, the remaining 135 have been classified as narcotics.

All seven substances announced for designation this time are Group 2 temporary narcotics. 2-Methyl AP-237 is newly designated, and six substances including '4-EA-NBOMe' are being redesignated as their designation is about to expire.

2-Methyl AP-237 is a new substance regulated as a narcotic in Japan and Sweden. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), it has been detected in the United States, Canada, and Sweden.

The six substances being redesignated are scheduled to expire on May 7. Due to concerns about abuse as narcotic substitutes, they will be redesignated as temporary narcotics for the next three years.

Substances designated as temporary narcotics are treated and managed the same as narcotics from the date of the designation announcement. Possession, ownership, use, management, import/export, manufacture, sale, brokerage, and transfer are all completely prohibited, and the substances may be seized.

Manufacturing or selling temporary narcotics may also result in criminal penalties. For Group 1 temporary narcotics, import/export, manufacture, sale, brokerage, or transfer can result in life imprisonment or imprisonment for five years or more. For Group 2 temporary narcotics, import/export and manufacture can result in imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to 100 million won, and sale, brokerage, or transfer can result in imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.