3-Methylmethamphetamine and NMDMSB Announced for Temporary Designation as Schedule 2 Controlled Substances

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 28th its preliminary designation of the new substances '3-Methylmethamphetamine' and 'NMDMSB' as Schedule 2 temporary narcotics due to concerns over misuse and abuse.

'3-Methylmethamphetamine' is a substance structurally similar to 'methamphetamine' (Philopon) and is therefore considered to have potential for dependency. 'NMDMSB' has a structure similar to '2F-QMPSB' and is expected to have strong hallucinogenic effects, posing physical and mental health risks. These substances are also regulated internationally, including in Germany (New Psychoactive Substances Act) and Japan (Designated Substances).

Once designated as temporary narcotics, these substances will be treated and managed the same as narcotics from the date of the preliminary designation announcement. Possession, ownership, use, management, import/export, manufacture, sale, brokerage, and transfer of these substances will be completely prohibited and subject to seizure.

Furthermore, after the official designation as temporary narcotics, those who import/export or manufacture Schedule 2 temporary narcotics will face imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 100 million won, and those who sell, broker, or transfer them will face imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The temporary narcotics designation system allows for the designation of substances that are not currently classified as narcotics but are abused as substitutes for narcotics or pose risks to public health as 'temporary narcotics' for a period of up to three years.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety expects that this preliminary designation of new temporary narcotics will help block the distribution of new narcotics and benefit public health. The ministry also stated that it will continue to cooperate with related agencies such as the prosecution, police, and customs to do its utmost to protect public health from new and illegal narcotics.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.