Number of illicit drug users rebounds

The number of registered illicit drug users in China at the end of last year reached 2.5 million, a rise of nearly 7 percent compared with 2015, according to the latest national drug report.

However, the number dropped significantly from the nearly 3 million recorded in 2014, according to the Ministry of Public Security, which said in a statement on its website that the number of drug users sent to compulsory rehabilitation centers nationwide last year reached 357,000.

The ministry said anti-drug authorities across the country have stepped up efforts in controlling the illegal use of chemical products, anesthetics and psychotropic drugs for illicit drug production.