The government has strengthened regulations concerning ephedra, the natural source of the drug ephedrine, in order to discourage drug abuse, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said Wednesday.

The SPC issued a notice on the regulation of ephedra along with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Food and Drug Administration.

Those who harvest or purchase ephedra to make drugs will be charged with drug-related crimes, the notice said.

Ephedrine is the primary ingredient in methamphetamine.

SPC spokesman Sun Jungong said making methamphetamine with ephedrine from ephedra plants is a new trend in drug-related crime.

Sun also released new data on drug-related cases.

In 2012, 20,472 suspects were prosecuted for drug-related crime, and 7,393 criminals received heavy penalties in the first five months of 2013, including imprisonment of five years or more, life sentences, or  the death penalty.

The number of people who received heavy penalties in 2012 increased 11.81 percent from 2011. 

Domestic courts prosecuted 76,920 drug cases, and settled 76,280 over last year, with year-on-year growth of 10.27 percent and 10.16 percent respectively.