witchlinblue
06-08-2005, 12:04 AM
Asia: China Says Drug War is Failing
The authoritarian government of the planet's most populous nation conceded Thursday that its multiple crackdowns on drug use and the drug traffic have failed to blunt increasing use. In a nationally televised news conference, the Communist government in Beijing blamed globalization and free trade for its drug control problems.
The admission that repression of drug use and the drug traffic has not stemmed the rise in drug use comes as the Chinese government moves into the second month of a newly declared "People's War on Drugs." That was an effort to enlist the aid of China's more than 1.2 billion citizens in a drug war the government has found is unwinnable.
"Since the beginning of the 1980s, the problem of drugs has been dealt with by the government and the party, but it has never been resolved," said Yang Fengrui, secretary-general of the National Narcotics Control Commission. "Although we've made a lot of achievements, the spread of drug problems remains serious," said Yang. "Heroin use is down in some areas, but the use of new drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and others is increasing. The situation in the Golden Triangle still does not allow for optimism," he said.
Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle remains the largest source of opium and heroin destined for the Chinese market.
Yang appealed to China's "broad masses" to enlist in the anti-drug effort. "This 'People's War on Drugs' cannot go ahead without the support of the broad masses," Yang said.
While Chinese officials view substance abuse there as a serious issue, enforcement is not on a level approaching that of the US. Last year, Chinese officials arrested some 67,000 people on drug charges, while another 273,000 were sent to forced drug treatment centers. Taken together, those two figures add up to only about one-fifth of the number of people arrested on drug charges each year in the US.
The authoritarian government of the planet's most populous nation conceded Thursday that its multiple crackdowns on drug use and the drug traffic have failed to blunt increasing use. In a nationally televised news conference, the Communist government in Beijing blamed globalization and free trade for its drug control problems.
The admission that repression of drug use and the drug traffic has not stemmed the rise in drug use comes as the Chinese government moves into the second month of a newly declared "People's War on Drugs." That was an effort to enlist the aid of China's more than 1.2 billion citizens in a drug war the government has found is unwinnable.
"Since the beginning of the 1980s, the problem of drugs has been dealt with by the government and the party, but it has never been resolved," said Yang Fengrui, secretary-general of the National Narcotics Control Commission. "Although we've made a lot of achievements, the spread of drug problems remains serious," said Yang. "Heroin use is down in some areas, but the use of new drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and others is increasing. The situation in the Golden Triangle still does not allow for optimism," he said.
Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle remains the largest source of opium and heroin destined for the Chinese market.
Yang appealed to China's "broad masses" to enlist in the anti-drug effort. "This 'People's War on Drugs' cannot go ahead without the support of the broad masses," Yang said.
While Chinese officials view substance abuse there as a serious issue, enforcement is not on a level approaching that of the US. Last year, Chinese officials arrested some 67,000 people on drug charges, while another 273,000 were sent to forced drug treatment centers. Taken together, those two figures add up to only about one-fifth of the number of people arrested on drug charges each year in the US.