IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Hainan

Number of new drug users plummets

China recorded significantly fewer new drug users this year compared to the last three years, according to a national drug control meeting held in Hainan province on Thursday. The number of new drug users recorded this year decreased 43 percent from 2017, with the proportion of drug-related juvenile offenders dropping in 30 provinces and municipalities. The China National Narcotics Control Commission launched a digital platform to promote drug prevention among adolescents in 2015. So far, about 68 million primary and secondary students at more than 170,000 schools have received education on the platform. The number of major drug cases uncovered and drug labs destroyed in 2018 have dropped by 42 percent and 38 percent respectively compared with 2016.