Since the beginning of the 21st century, synthetic drugs, represented by amphetamine-type stimulants, have become the most widely-abused and rapidly-spread drugs in the world. In China, the abuse of synthetic drugs represented by methamphetamine (MA) is becoming increasingly serious. By the end of 2016, there were 255,000 drug abusers in the country (excluding deaths, departures, and those who did not suffer a relapse for three years), among which there were 151,500 synthetic drug abusers, accounting for 60.0% of the total.[1] Moreover, the abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants occupied the first place among synthetic drugs being used.[2]
