China Vows Tough Stance on Drug Abuse by Medical Professionals

China’s top prosecutor has vowed to crack down on the abuse and mishandling of controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances by medical personnel, as violations involving prescription drugs have risen in recent years.

While the number of crimes involving prohibited drugs in China has been declining for several years, “the number of crimes involving narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances has grown,” an official with the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) said in a statement published Monday that highlighted the ease of access with which medical personnel have to such drugs.