Seven New Narcotics Including General Anesthetic 'Etomidate' Designated

Seven new substances, including Hexahydrocannabinol, to be newly designated as narcotics or psychotropic drugs
Etomidate to be proactively managed as a narcotic due to misuse concerns

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 28th that it has publicly notified a draft amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Narcotics Control Act," which newly designates seven substances, including 'Hexahydrocannabinol,' scheduled to be classified as controlled substances by the United Nations (UN), as narcotics or psychotropic drugs.

The substances newly designated as narcotics include five substances (four narcotics and one psychotropic drug) scheduled to be designated as narcotics or psychotropic drugs at the 68th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), and two psychotropic drugs, including 'Etomidate,' which were decided to be designated as narcotics by the Domestic Narcotics Safety Management Committee.

The substances newly designated by the UN Narcotics Commission, such as N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene, N-Pyrrolidino metonitazene, Etonitazepipne, and N-Desethyl isotonitazene, are new synthetic narcotics produced by modifying the structure of existing narcotics. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has been promptly monitoring international narcotics trends and has already designated and managed these as temporary narcotics.

The substances designated as narcotics among psychotropic drugs include Hexahydrocannabinol, Etomidate, and Lemborexant. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained, "Etomidate, used as a general anesthesia inducer, has been illegally administered or misused in some medical institutions, so it will be proactively designated and managed as a narcotic to ensure safe use domestically."