SHANGHAI police have canceled 9,276 driving licenses of drug addicts in the period from October 2012 to the end of last month.

Police said yesterday that 2,436 of them were put on short detention or compulsory drug rehabilitation programs.

Since March last year, new face recognition cameras have been installed in various locations of the city, catching 12 people driving with canceled licenses due to their drug history.

Since late 2012, other transportation administrations of the city discovered 57 motorists driving under the influence of drugs, according to the government.

During an event yesterday — International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking — promoting safe and drug-free driving, government officials distributed free drug testing appliances to nine companies.

They included an airline, the Metro operator, bus and taxi firms and mail delivery operators.