China has more than 14 mln illegal drug users
中国非法吸毒人员逾千万
Drug use in China is getting worse. The report cites more armed drug trafficking and a rising number of youngsters committing drug-related crimes. The current number of registered drug users has risen to 2.7 million, twice the number of six years ago. It's estimated that China has more than 14 million illegal drug users on total. And a sampling survey in some major cities indicates that the total number in the country could be bigger.
Drug dealing is much easier than before. Internet applications such Tencent QQ, MOMO, and Wechat are used as major transaction channels.
Easier access for young people is helping drive the trend of turning consumers into dealers. Fighting on-line drug dealing will be a priority for the police in the next few years.
China reinforced its crackdown on drug-related crimes in 2014, which began with several celebrities being caught for drug offenses. A recently launched campaign to ban drugs in hundreds of cities is expected to run until April this year.