'People's war' on drugs
5/4/2005 8:19
A senior official yesterday vowed to launch a "people's war" against
drugs.
The battle would be on three fronts - checking the source of drugs,
curbing the harmful influence of drug-related crimes and reducing the number of
addicts.
"The nationwide campaign is to deal with the tough problem of drug
abuse and a decisive strategy to win the initiative in the fight against drugs,"
said Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of
China Central Committee and State Councilor.
Zhou, also minister of public
security and director of the National Narcotics Control Commission, made the
remarks at the commission's plenary meeting in Beijing.
"Major achievements"
were made in drug control last year with both more cases solved and suspects
arrested compared to 2003. That resulted in a large increase in the street price
of narcotics, according to the commission.
About 98,000 drug-related cases
were cracked last year, up 4.4 percent over the previous year. About 66,900
suspects were seized, up 5.1 percent, the commission said.
Last year, 10.8
tons of heroin were seized, up 13.6 percent year-on-year; more than 3 million
ecstasy pills were intercepted, an eight-fold increase; 2.7 tons of "ice" were
confiscated, down 52.9 percent; and 160 tons of chemicals for drug manufacturing
was recovered, up 119.8 percent.
A commission official said: "Thanks to years
of high-powered crackdowns, drugs have become harder to buy. Drug prices have
risen significantly and the high incidence of drug-related crimes has generally
been brought under control."
Still major challenges must be bridged in the
fight against drugs. Experts said drug crimes have become more diversified and
covert while the country's anti-drug forces still lack the necessary equipment
and training to track them.
About 791,000 known drug addicts were registered
across the country at the end of last year, up 6.8 percent from 2003. Young
people, farmers and the unemployed were the three main segments of the
population addicted to drugs, according to the commission.
Nearly 86 percent
of the nation's drug users are addicted to heroin. The number of addicts to new
drugs like ecstasy and ketamine hydrochloride also increased - accounting for
2.5 percent of the total in 2001 and jumping to 9.5 percent in 2004.
A
detailed arrangement was made for the nationwide campaign against drugs at the
meeting, a source said.
The central authorities attached great importance to
the anti-drug battle.
Xinhua
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