China estimated to have more than 14m drug users
Print Edition
CHINA had 2.95 million registered drug users by the end of 2014, but the actual number is estimated to be in excess of 14 million, according to the China National Narcotics Control Commission.
The number of synthetic drug users has seen an average annual rise of 36 percent over the past years, reaching 1.46 million in 2014.
It is the first time it has surpassed the number of registered heroin addicts, which stood at 1.45 million last year.
Although the growth of heroin users has been curbed, a high proportion still relapse after rehabilitation, said Liu Yuejin, vice chief of the NNCC.
The anti-drugs campaign has been overshadowed by increasing numbers of drug users and stronger, more addictive drugs, Liu said.
Narcotics use has been linked to suicide, self-harm, violence, hostage taking and hit-and-run crimes, he added.
He said there should be an overhaul of drug legislation with much stricter punishments.
The police arrested more than 880,000 drug users in 2014, and admitted 264,000 into compulsory detoxification. Another 197,000 received community drug rehabilitation.
The authority also launched multiple nationwide campaigns, which resulted in the arrest of 169,000 suspects and the seizing of 69 tons of drugs last year.
Chinese authorities have been intensifying crackdowns on drugs, detaining several celebrities in high-profile cases in 2014.
Nine Chinese celebrities were detained for drug-related offenses in the first half of the year.
They included Gao Hu, a 40-year-old actor, for possession of marijuana and methamphetamines; film director Zhang Yuan, who tried to evade a random drugs check at a Beijing train station; writer Chen Wanning, for using meth; and reality TV star Li Daimo, who was jailed for nine months for hosting crystal meth parties at his apartment.
One of the best known celebrities to fall foul of the drugs laws was actor Jaycee Chan, the son of martial arts star Jackie Chan.
Jaycee was apprehended last August and sentenced to jail after police found marijuana in his Beijing apartment.
His father is an anti-drugs ambassador in China.
Speaking to students at Nanyang Polytechnic on May 7, Jackie Chan said their only choice is to stay away from drugs.
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