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Drugs destroyed to mark Humen Opium Destruction
By Cui Jia in Beijing, Cao Li in Shanghai and Hu Meidong in Fuzhou (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-06-03 22:49

Addicts on rise in Shanghai

The number of drug addicts in Shanghai is on the rise, local authorities revealed Wednesday.

Ever since the Anti-Drug Law came into effect on June 1 last year,Shanghai has been trying to educate people about the harmful affects of drugs, crackdown on drugs and treat addicts.

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With some 32,000 drug addicts -- 0.15 percent of Shanghai's total population -- the city's illegal substance users have been growing by 20 percent annually, said Zhou Weihang, director of the Shanghai's anti-drug office.

In 2006, the annual growth was reported at 17 percent, he said.

"Shanghaihas become a relay center for drug trafficking as well as a destination where consumption is soaring," Zhou said.

Since 2006, more and more drug users are taking to synthetic substances like ice, ecstasy and ketamine.

"Eighty percent of the new addicts use synthetic drugs and 75 percent of the synthetic drug users are below the age of 35," Zhou said.

"Most people think synthetic drugs are not addictive and it is cool to use them.

"Synthetic drugs are more psychologically addictive than physically and carry the potential to damage a nervous system irreversibly," he said.

People who use an Amphetamine drug called "head-shaking pills" go on spinning their heads for hours and are totally exhausted afterwards. And people who use ice' have illusions, Zhou said.

In suburban Jiading district, a man stabbed his bride on their wedding night. It was later discovered he had a "history of ice addiction" and had even stabbed his ex-wife, who left him thereafter.

Among the 623 cases Shanghai police cracked in the first five months of this year, 34 involved more than 1,000 grams of drugs, said Zhou.

On May 8, police shot dead a suspect during a drug raid, before arresting four suspects, armed with guns, holding 2 kg of ice.

Statistics show that in 2008, a total of 264,000 drug addicts were separated for compulsory addiction treatment while 238,000 accepted community treatment help.

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