China Tightens Controls on Prescription Drugs as Teens Buy Misused Pills for 10 Yuan
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 25
China Tightens Controls on Prescription Drugs as Teens Buy Misused Pills for 10 Yuan
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 25
Summary
Chinese authorities tightened prescribing and pharmacy-dispensing rules in April after finding young people had shifted to another prescription drug for recreational use despite an earlier crackdown.
Online access remains easy: the BBC was offered the drug in a chat room for as little as 10 yuan a gram, while teens shared search terms, fake-prescription tips and code names to evade detection.
Pressure from elite-school exams and family expectations is driving the misuse, according to teens and experts; one 2023 study estimated nearly 95 million people in China have depression, with more than 30% under 18.
Official 2025 data showed newly identified drug users under 35 fell 41%, but China’s narcotics commission has warned prescription-drug misuse is spreading, especially among minors.
Beijing is expanding school counselling and county-level psychiatric services toward a 2030 support system, yet a 2020 Lancet study found only about 500 qualified child psychiatrists nationwide.