On the Crime of Spreading False Dangerous Substances ——In the Perspective of Case Analysis

Article 8 of the Amendment III to the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of C hina (Articles 291-1 of the Criminal Law) added a crime, viz. spreading false d angerous substances. Criminal act of this type not only differs from that of spr eading dangerous substances as postulated in Articles 114 & 115 regarding public security, but also differs from that of creating social disorder as postulated in Articles 290&291. Instead, the crime of spreading false dangerous substance c reates a social psychological disorder, in which the spreading acts may either a im at a specific individual or at unspecific persons. Therefore, the nature of t he false dangerous substance ought to be interpreted in terms of its negative si de than positive. If it does not fall into the category of dangerous subst ances, then it ought to be categorized as the false dangerous substance, charact erized with credibleness, a possibility of disrupting the social order and the i mpossibility of creating a real threat to public security.