Number of registered drug users in China 2022, by main drug type

As of December 2022, among the 1.12 million registered drug users in China, more than half, or 588,000, were users of Methamphetamine.

Stringent anti-narcotics law

Opium and related narcotics were very popular in China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, causing severe consequences for the country at that time. As a result, China's society now has little acceptance of any illicit drugs, and the country has one of the most restrictive anti-narcotics laws in the world. In numerous circumstances, drug trafficking is punishable by capital punishment. Even though recreational drug use is not a criminal offense, drug addicts arrested by the police are almost always sent to compulsory drug rehabilitation facilities for treatment.

Health risks associated with drug use

Thanks to its addictive nature, illicit drug use carries significant health risks. Overdose has become one of the leading causes of death among drug users in countries such as the United States, while drug use also serves as an important channel for the transmission of infectious diseases. Due to the use of shared syringes during intravenous drug injection, drug users are at higher risk of acquiring blood-borne infectious diseases, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).