While not as prevalent as in other countries, drug use is certainly on the rise in China. If you still associate drug abuse in China with men in queues toting long opium pipes, it is time to step out of the Opium War era and get some updated facts. Drug users are increasingly getting younger and turning towards synthetic designer drugs.

Having said that, China’s tough anti-drug stance is a legacy from Mao that endures to this day. Xi Jinping reiterated this stance prior to the International Day Against Drug Abuse calling for “forceful measures to wipe [drugs] out”. Therefore, it is no surprise foreigners are put on the death row for drug-related offenses, straining diplomatic relationships between China and other countries.

Trends in Drug Usage

Drug usage and trafficking in China used to be concentrated in coastal areas and among the border regions, primarily entering the Middle Kingdom through the Golden Triangle or the Golden Crescent, which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of lately, however, this flow has been moving inland.

“Traditional” options like heroin tend to be cheap at border towns where they are trafficked. But expensive synthetic “designer” drugs are fast gaining favor in big cities among a demographic that is getting younger, more urbanized and more educated. According to Xinhua, in 2013, 75% of new drug users are under 35.

Unfortunately, drug usage is not confined to a particular demographic. Apart from urbanites, usage is also increasing among rural youth. Some consume drugs out of “necessity” though. Truck drivers consume drugs knowingly in order to stay awake on overnight routes or unwittingly through smoking cigarettes laced with contraband substances. Drug usage among foreigners is also increasing. While the majority of crackdowns still target locals, China Daily reported a 15% increase in foreigners entangled in drug activity.

Going after the “Tigers”

Celebrities under influence make for high profile arrests. Enforcement officers know this and pursue them doggedly to the point of obsession. Jaycee Chan, famed for being the son of Jackie Chan, was jailed for 6 months for marijuana use. B-list local celebrities caught up under the long arm of the law include actor Gao Hu, director Zhang Yuan and popular online author Chen Wanning. After serving their sentences, they often issue tearful heart-wrenching apologies to fans on social media.

Trending Drug News

1) The Enemy Within – Some Recent Statistics

China’s unprecedented assessment on the impact of drug usage this year put the number of drug addicts over 14 million, resulting in a yearly economic loss of 500 billion Yuan annually. Surprisingly, usage has been growing among an unlikely demographic – civil servants. Last December, in Yunnan Province alone, 41 government officials were expelled for failing drug tests. Indeed, a common enemy to humanity, in the words of Premier Li Keqiang.

2) Shady Shanghai

Recently, Shanghai was found to be a transit point for traffickers from Hong Kong. Cocaine from San Paolo, Brazil finds its way to the Special Administrative Region via Shanghai, passing through Guangzhou and Shenzhen before reaching its ultimate destination.

3) Worst City for Drug Offenders

Over the last two years, Lufeng in Guangdong province, undertook a massive crackdown on drug-trafficking, handling 484 cases, resulting in 668 arrests and a confiscated bounty of more than 3,000 kg of ice. The most recent trial convicted 38 drug traffickers, sentencing 13 to death. As a result, the county-level city was commended by the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) for its efforts.

4) Closing the Umbrellas

Speaking of Lufeng, Chen Yukeng, the deputy head of the public security bureau of Shan Wei city, was investigated for coming under the “umbrella” of drug kingpin Lin Kaiyong. Chen was also charged for receiving bribes to allow two drug lords to be released on bail illegally among other corruption charges.

5) Foreigners Caught by the Law

Foreigners are not immune from the arm of the law when using or dealing drugs. In the first four months of 2014, in Guangdong alone, 255 foreign drug suspects were arrested, together with 464 drug suspects from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

According to statistics from Japan foreign affairs ministry, up until 2014, 44 Japanese were arrested in China on drug-related charges, while Korea reports that one third of the Koreans incarcerated in China  are in for drug-related offenses.

6) China's Real-Life Walter Whites

A Chemistry professor in Wuhan has been arrested for selling drugs in the UK and US, Canada and Australia. He discovered this “opportunity” after visiting Australia on academic purposes and finding that the demand for psychoactive drugs far exceeded the supply. This comes on the heels of the arrest of a Xi'an professor in May for making and selling illegal drugs, who was dubbed as the original Walter White, named after the Breaking Bad character.

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Keywords: anti-drug crackdown China drugs in China