BEIJING: China on Wednesday gave its first assessment of the scourge of drug abuse, saying it caused annual economic losses of 500 billion yuan ($80.54bn) and as many as 49,000 deaths last year.

China has intensified a crackdown on drugs as the rise of a new urban class with greater disposable income has fuelled a surge in the number of drug addicts.

In its fight against drug abuse, the government arrested a string of celebrities, including the son of Hong Kong kung fu movie star Jackie Chan. Jaycee Chan, 32, was released in February, after serving a six-month jail sentence on drug charges.

China has more than 14 million drug users, Liu Yuejin, assistant minister of public security, told a news conference.

“The direct economic losses caused by drug use in the entire country have hit 500 billion yuan annually,” he said.

Drug abuse had killed at least 49,000 registered users by the end of 2014 and fuelled a rise in crimes such as murder, abduction and rape, Mr Liu added.

China’s share of synthetic drug users eclipsed heroin users for the first time last year, according to an annual report on the drug situation.

By the end of 2014, China had about 1.2 million users of methamphetamine, up almost 41 per cent from a year earlier.

Two major overseas drug sources for China are southeast Asia’s ‘Golden Triangle’, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet, and south Asia’s ‘Golden Crescent’, which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to Mr Liu.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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