Pu Cunxin talks at a CPPCC panel discussion on Wednesday. [Photo/cnr.cn]

Drug users are victims too

China's ambassador on AIDS prevention Pu Cunxin, who is also a CPPCC member and an actor, commented during an interview on Tuesday that society needs to give drug users another chance, although strict punishment is necessary.

The country's top press and media watchdog has ordered TV stations and other outlets to stop broadcasting material featuring entertainers who use drugs or visit prostitutes since last October.

Pu believes a period of banning actors who abuse drugs on the screen is acceptable but society also needs to give them another chance to return to the screen after getting clean. "They are victims of drugs and they need our help," he said.