Sleeping pills linked to drug trafficking? Never sell such meds!

\x26quot;Sleeping pills\x26quot; linked to drug trafficking? Never sell such meds casually!

In the general public's perception, sleeping pills are common drugs that help people combat insomnia. However, a recent case in newspaper about "a woman sentenced for drug trafficking after selling 5 boxes of Stilnox online" has sounded the alarm for us.

In this case, Ms. Ma was prescribed 8 boxes of Stilnox by the hospital to treat her insomnia due to illness. After her condition improved, she found that there were remaining medicines. Not wanting to waste them, she resold 5 boxes (35 tablets) to 2 netizens online and received 300 yuan totally. It was precisely this act that put her in the predicament of being suspected of drug-related crimes.

The local court, in the first instance, found her guilty of drug trafficking and transportation, sentenced her to seven months in prison with a one-year and one-month suspension, a fine of 2,000 yuan, and confiscated the illegal gains of 300 yuan. Although the court of second instance held that some facts found in the original judgment were unclear and remanded the case for retrial, this incident has aroused widespread public concern and profound reflection.

Why are "sleeping pills" like Stilnox related to drug trafficking? Although Stilnox can effectively relieve insomnia when used under normal medical channels and as prescribed by doctors, it carries the risk of addiction if used improperly. For this reason, the state has included it in the category of class II psychotropic drugs for strict control. China's "Criminal Law" and "Anti-Drug Law" clearly stipulate that drugs refer to opium, heroin, methamphetamine (ice), morphine, marijuana, cocaine, as well as other narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs that are controlled by the state and can cause addiction in people. From a legal perspective, when Stilnox is illegally sold outside the scope of legitimate medical use, it becomes a "drug" in the sense of criminal law.

In addition to Stilnox, there are many other "common drugs" in people's eyes that are also under legal control. For example, the compound oral liquid preparations containing codeine that we are familiar with, such as certain cough syrups; and tramadol, which some people may regard as just an ordinary analgesic, are also classified as class II psychotropic drugs and subject to control.

Furthermore, common sedative drugs like alprazolam and estazolam, although they play an important role in normal medical treatment, are all state-controlled class II psychotropic drugs.

They cannot be freely bought or sold, and individuals who privately resell or peddle such psychotropic drugs are highly likely to violate the provisions of the Criminal Law concerning drug trafficking.

Do you understand now?

Note：We also publish the Chinese version of this post today.