A report from the European Union dubs China as the fastest growing drug wholesaler of Europe, citing the Asian country’s rapidly expanding pharmaceutical industry as a major player in international drug trade.
According to the EU Drug Markets Report 2016 posted on Europol's official website, China is already "the chemical and pharmaceutical wholesaler and retailer of new psychoactive substances to the world."
The South China Morning Post said that the EU report scrutinized the drug markets all over the world and found that China's increasing pharmaceutical production may serve as a breeding ground for illicit drug abuse and trade.
The EU Report
"The report illustrates the widespread impacts of drug markets, how they are related to other criminal activities, create a strain on government institutions, and have a serious impact on legitimate business and the wider economy, not to mention the negative consequences for neighborhoods, families and individuals," the report's introduction stated.
It presented the dynamics of the entire trade process in the main drug markets in Europe, beginning from the point of production "to the consumer and all points in between."
It also considered outside forces that affect the entire drug situation in the continent and warned authorities that there may be an increase in criminal activity due to the massive profits, low production risks, and emergence of new psychoactive substances, which are primarily produced in China
China's Pharmaceutical Industry
China's pharmaceutical industry continues to grow as 66 Chinese herbs have recently been listed in an authoritative reference for quality control of medication in the EU known as the European Pharmacopoeia.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, this list only includes high-quality medications and herbs that have passed the EU's standards.
Dr. Gerhard Fran, the chairperson of the European Pharmacopoeia's Traditional Chinese Medicine Working Party, explained that this simply means that the herbs have been accepted in foreign markets, expanding the reach of local Chinese drugs.
But with this good news comes a grave consequence as China is singled out in the study conducted by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol.
Return of Ecstasy
A recent report from the China-based EMCDDA indicates that ecstasy has made a comeback and it appears to be targeting the youth.
"The return of MDMA [or ecstasy] as a common stimulant of choice for young people is illustrative of some of the new challenges posed by the contemporary drug market," the agency told the Xinhua News Agency in a statement.
The agency said that more than 2 million people aged 15 to 34 years old were found to have used ecstasy last year, a significant increase that may be due to the dealers' new-found strategies in production and distribution.