China solved 98,000 drug-related cases in 2004, up 4.4 percent
over the previous year, and seized 66,900 suspects, up 5.1 percent,
the National Narcotics Control Commission announced at its plenary
session on Monday.
China seized 10.8 tons of heroin in 2004, up 13.6 percent
year-on-year; more than 3 million ecstasy pills, an eight-fold
increase; 2.7 tons of methamphetamine, down 52.9 percent; and 160
tons of chemicals for used in making drugs, up 119.8 percent.
"Thanks to years of high-powered crackdowns, drugs have become
more difficult to come by on the domestic market. Drug prices have
risen significantly and the high incidence of drug-related crimes
has generally been brought under control," said a commission
official.?
However, the number of drug addicts rose 6.8 percent to 791,000
at the end of 2004.
Nearly 86 percent were addicted to heroin, while the number of
people addicted to new kinds of drugs was on the rise.
Most drug addicts are young people, farmers or the
unemployed.
Nevertheless, the commission reported, the number of new drug
addicts in the year went down 19.7 percent year-on-year to 22,000,
while the number of rehabilitated addicts who have stayed clean for
three years or more reached 88,000.
The percentage of registered drug addicts below the age of 35
dropped to 70 percent as of the end of 2004 from 77 percent in
2001.
The commission attributed this success to a combination of
measures, including enhanced ability to locate new drug addicts, a
more vigorous anti-drug publicity campaign, international
cooperation and improved legislation.
The commission sponsored a nationwide campaign for creating
drug-free communities, issued myriad publicity materials and
dispatched nearly 100,000 publicity contingents to high-risk groups
in 2004.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2005)