The five additives that have caused great fear in the e-cigarette industry

"Head-smoking electronic cigarettes" are not ordinary electronic cigarettes; they are a new type of drug disguised as electronic cigarettes. Their core feature is that addictive or hallucinogenic substances listed by the state have been illegally added to the e-liquid. After consumption, they cause intense hallucinations, excitement or sedation, hence the name "head-smoking". In response to the recent spread of "head-smoking electronic cigarettes", on November 20, 2024, the Office of the National Anti-Drug Committee, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jointly issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Crackdown and Rectification Work on 'Head-Smoking Electronic Cigarettes'" to intensify the crackdown on "head-smoking electronic cigarettes".
The first type: Synthetic cannabinoids
From the name alone, it can be known that this substance is related to "marijuana", and it can be intuitively inferred that it is a drug. Synthetic cannabinoids are an artificially synthesized chemical substance. Compared to marijuana, they have stronger addiction and greater harm to the body. Synthetic cannabinoid substances were included in the "Supplementary Catalogue of Controlled Substances for Non-Pharmaceutical Class A Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances" on July 1, 2021, and have been officially classified as drugs by the state for control. Synthetic cannabinoid substances refer to substances that conform to the 7 types of chemical structure formulas listed in the "Announcement on Including Synthetic Cannabinoid Substances and 18 Other Substances Such as Fluoromethamphetamine in the Supplementary Catalogue of Controlled Substances", and there are 103 such substances discovered only in China.
The e-liquid of electronic cigarettes may illegally add cannabis resin, cannabis oil, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabinol, which do not belong to synthetic cannabinoids, but belong to plant-based cannabinoids. They have been classified as drugs as early as 1987.
Second type: Etomidate
Etomidate is the most commonly added prohibited substance in e-cigarette oil. Etomidate and its injection are included in Volume 2 of the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" (2020 Edition). The former is the raw material drug and the latter is the preparation. It is used as a medicine and belongs to the category of anesthetic drugs. Because etomidate belongs to "anesthesia, mental, toxicity, biological products and other special categories", it can be directly determined as "capable of seriously endangering human health". Without obtaining relevant approval documents for drugs, the production, sale, and import of etomidate will constitute the crime of obstructing the administration of drugs.
However, as of October 1, 2023, etomidate was officially included in the second category of psychotropic drugs. After that, without relevant approval documents, the production and sale of etomidate will constitute a drug crime, and the severity of the punishment has suddenly increased.

Third type: Metomidate
Metomidate is a derivative of etomidate and belongs to non-medical anesthetic drugs. It has different physiological reactions when consumed compared to etomidate. When vaping e-cigarettes containing metomidate, one is more likely to experience vomiting.
According to the announcement issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the National Health Commission, and the National Medical Products Administration, "On the Addition of 46 Substances to the <Supplementary List of Controlled Substances of Non-medical Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances>", metomidate was included in this list and has been officially classified as a non-medical anesthetic drug since July 1, 2024. Therefore, it is a drug.
Fourth type: Propofol / Iprofenone
"Propofol" and "Iprofenone" were both included in the "Supplementary Catalogue of Controlled Substances for Non-Pharmaceutical Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances" on July 1, 2024. Since then, both have been classified as drugs.

Type 5: Tilradim
Tilradim is a veterinary anesthetic drug, not a pharmaceutical product, and has not yet been included in the list of controlled narcotic or psychotropic drugs. The illegal act of adding tilradim to e-cigarette oil is generally not considered a drug crime, but may constitute other crimes.