1.3 mln drug addicts treated in China's compulsory detox centers

BEIJING - China has 361 compulsory drug detoxification centers, which have treated over 1.3 million addicts over the past 10 years, Vice Minister of Justice Liu Zhiqiang said Monday.

However, the development of the detoxification initiative is still unbalanced and inadequate across the country, said Liu at a press conference.

The ministry is working on creating a unified system for drug detoxification management, education, medical treatment and rehabilitation, according to Liu.

Efforts were also made to develop new therapies and technologies to help drug users, such as the use of virtual reality (VR) in assessing the level of addiction.

Besides compulsory detoxification institutions, China also has non-compulsory detox centers and community-based rehab facilities.