China’s Heilongjiang Province recently witnessed a concerning incident involving a 14-year-old middle school student who fell into a coma after taking the prescription drug Carisoprodol in class. The student was rushed to the ICU for treatment, sparking worries among the public about teenagers abusing prescription drugs. Many people expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of strict regulation that allows young people to easily obtain prescription drugs. This news quickly became a hot topic on Baidu on September 19.
According to a report by the Chinese media outlet “Legal Daily” on September 18, the 14-year-old student disclosed afterward, “These drugs can produce hallucinations and relax the mind.” He had also taken Tramadol tablets a few times before, all purchased from a local pharmacy.
Recently, on a social media platform, a young user identified as ’00s generation’ shared a disturbing “recipe.”
The video showcased a weekly menu titled “Sharing my delicious healthy diet plan for the week: Monday Kong××, Tuesday ×Kong, Wednesday Benzhai×, Thursday Tramadol××, Friday Silai××, Saturday Benzene×××, Sunday Sinuo×, come and try it out!” This “recipe” consisted of prescription drugs and even narcotic substances.
The user mentioned that she did not take medication for healing purposes. Her content frequently included terms such as “od” (overdose) and “hallucination.”
On Chinese social media platforms, many teenagers are seen ‘sharing’ instances of prescription drug and narcotic substance abuse, forming a set of coded language. For instance, “pr80” is used to designate Pregabalin, “goodnight” refers to Trazodone, and “youmei” stands for Tramadol.
The young user expressed, “If I don’t overdose, I binge-eat; if I overdose, I lose my appetite, it’s so painful! These days, I binge-eat if I don’t overdose, I’ve gained a lot of weight, wanna cry. After taking too much, finally had a good sleep, I don’t even know if it was a good sleep or if I just passed out.”
Due to consuming these prescription drugs, the young users are now having to deal with side effects such as memory loss. The user stated, “Is the memory damage reversible from overdosing? I’m looking for things every day, my memory is particularly poor, I feel so stupid. I feel I can’t be clear-headed, as soon as I’m clear-headed I start thinking nonsense, my mind just can’t stop.”
According to regulations, prescription drugs can only be purchased with a doctor’s prescription, so how did these individuals manage to acquire them?
Firstly, some prescription drugs are being sold directly on social media platforms. They call themselves “waistband” or “medicine agents,” provide contact information, and claim that even without a prescription, they can provide unlimited quantities of various prescription drugs and controlled drugs.
Furthermore, some online drug-selling platforms have certain loopholes, allowing some teenagers to easily purchase prescription drugs without a prescription, making it very convenient.
The abuse of prescription drugs can lead to serious consequences. Chief Physician Yao Huaifang from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine explained to Legal Daily that drug abuse refers to the repeated and excessive use of drugs (or substances) with addictive properties for non-medical purposes. Users develop psychological and physical dependencies on these drugs, leading to abnormal behavior and a relentless pursuit of the drugs’ special mental effects, causing severe personal health, public health, and social issues.
Yao Huaifang mentioned that illegally abusing psychoactive drugs is equivalent to drug abuse. Moreover, drug abuse has a significant detrimental impact on the mental health of young people, causing emotional instability, anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues. Additionally, since minors’ brains have not fully developed, drug abuse can permanently alter brain structure and function, resulting in reduced cognitive abilities, learning difficulties, and abnormal behavior.
A netizen, “Mao Chang 0C,” remarked on the loopholes in China’s prescription drug management, saying, “Frankly, it feels quite pervasive. Previously, my dad asked me to buy medicine, and I wasn’t sure if I could buy prescription drugs, but we were able to buy them at our local pharmacy, the doctor didn’t inquire much, just gave the medication. Luckily, it was just hypertension medication. Before, buying prescription drugs online didn’t require a prescription, they just asked about the situation and provided it directly.”
“River’s Little Third” also emphasized the need to strengthen drug supervision while providing guidance to minors.