China bans pet anaesthetic tiletamine after waves of young people vape drug

China has banned tiletamine, a common veterinary anaesthetic, after its recreational inhalation among young people escalated sharply.

Since July 1, the compound has been classified as a controlled substance and is regulated as strictly as fentanyl.

Tiletamine has a chemical structure similar to ketamine, commonly known as “K powder”, and it was mainly used for surgical anaesthesia in pets such as cats and dogs.

However, the substance can be vaporised in so-called heady e-cigarettes to induce dissociative highs, exploiting a prior regulatory vacuum. After inhalation, users can experience visual and auditory hallucinations and dissociation of consciousness.

Since it had not previously been included on the drug list, it quickly became popular in China, especially in entertainment venues such as billiard halls, discos, nightclubs and bars.

“From November 2025 to early January 2026, in the city of Shenyang alone, 1,605 individuals were investigated and educated for the abuse of tiletamine,” a paper published in the fifth issue of the 2026 Policing Studies in Chinese said.