The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Monday that it would designate six new materials, including 5F-AB-FUPPYCA, as temporary narcotics, used illegally as substitutes for drugs.

The other five substances are 5F-PCN, AB-CHFUPYCA, ADSB-FUB-187, JTE-7-31, and WIN 55,212-2.

The narcotics are designated as the active ingredients of cannabis- tetrahydrocannabinol, a synthetic hemp family with a similar incentive effect, which was recently identified as a drug in France.

In particular, WIN 55,212-2 acts on the central nervous system and has been reported to cause physical dependence in “forbidden behavior research” conducted in rats.

The ministry introduced “temporary narcotics designation system” in 2011 and has since designated 160 types of temporary drugs, and named 62 of them as drugs, including Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), through assessing their dependency and other factors.

The six substances newly designated as temporary drugs are now treated and managed in the same way as the drugs and are prohibited from possessing, using, distribute, export import, manufacture, and sell.

People will be sentenced to more than one year in prison for the possession of these illegal drugs, and five years’ imprisonment if they import, manufactured and sell these narcotics.

The ministry said it would help to block the distribution, misuse, and abuse of new illegal drugs through the designation, and cooperate with related organizations such as the prosecution, the police, and the customs office to make efforts to prevent the harm to the public health caused by illegal drugs.

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