Drug crimes, newly identified drug users decreased in China in 2020

BEIJING -- The number of newly identified drug users under the age of 35 in China dropped 31.5 percent year on year in 2020, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

Police cracked 64,000 drug-related cases in 2020, down 23 percent from the previous year, leading to over 92,000 arrests and the seizure of more than 55 tonnes of drugs, according to the ministry.

A total of 427,000 drug users involved in the cases were identified, a year-on-year decrease of 31 percent, it added.

Close to 3 million former drug users have not relapsed for three years since rehabilitation, according to the ministry.

The ministry also noted that an overwhelming majority of Chinese people are satisfied with the country's efforts to tackle narcotics, citing a satisfaction level nearing 97 percent in a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics.