The number of registered heroin addicts reached 1.45 million in 2014. (Photo : Thinkstock)
China's registered drug users reached 2.95 million by the end of 2014, according to China's National Narcotics Control Commission, but the actual number is thought to exceed 14 million.
Among the registered drug users, heroin addicts reached 1.45 million in 2014, with synthetic users reaching 1.46 million. More youth are also turning to synthetic narcotics.
The new number of 2.7 million registered drug users is double the number from six years ago.
One of the reasons for the proliferation of circulated drugs is the growing accessibility and ease of transactions via the Internet. The additional efficiency of the digital age encourages more consumers to turn into dealers.
Police will pay closer attention to apprehending online drug dealers.
More than 800,000 drug users were arrested in 2014 and 264,000 were forced to undergo compulsory detoxification, while 197,000 received community rehabilitation.
Vice Chief Liu Yuejin of the NNCC stated that many heroin abusers relapse after their rehabilitation experiences, despite the increase of users having been curbed. Liu proposes an overhaul of drug legislation and more stringent punishments.
Authorities seized 69,000 kilograms of illegal substances in 2014, following a nationwide campaign to fight the war against drugs.
The government crackdown on drugs also resulted in the detention of nine Chinese celebrities in the same year.
In Aug. 2014, Jaycee Chan (Jackie Chan's son) was jailed for possessing marijuana, found in his Beijing apartment. Although marijuana is legal in other parts of the world, for medical and recreational uses, it is still prohibited in China.
Jackie Chan is an anti-drugs ambassador in China, and on May 7 he spoke to students at Nanyang Polytechnic, encouraging them to stay away from drugs.
