Are Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice) legal in China?

Legal status

Controlled class-wide, the headline. On 11 May 2021 China's National Narcotics Control Commission placed the ENTIRE class of synthetic cannabinoids under national control via a generic class definition (built on seven core ring systems, indole, indazole, pyrrole, carbazole and others bonded to a carbonyl group), in force 1 July 2021, making China the first country in the world to schedule the whole class at once (18 further compounds were also individually listed). This intersects Criminal Law art. no synthetic-cannabinoid-specific capital quantity has been published, so the exact capital threshold is left to confirmation.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: not established for this substance. China retains the death penalty for drug offences, under Criminal Law article 347, for trafficking a large quantity, and that much is established here. What is not established is this substance's own position under it: the source read here gives neither the article that would carry it nor any quantity at which it would apply. No threshold is stated in this cell because none was established. Do not read the absence of a figure as a safe amount. The country level position is the one to act on, and the substance specific position has to be settled against the current instrument.

If prescribed or medical

These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in China.

Documentation

No lawful personal-import route for the class-wide-controlled synthetic cannabinoids; severe penalties, do not carry.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with China’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.