News (Media Awareness Project) - China: Beijing Declares War on New Breed of Drug Users |
Title: | China: Beijing Declares War on New Breed of Drug Users |
Published On: | 2002-04-27 |
Source: | Straits Times (Singapore) |
Fetched On: | 2008-01-23 11:17:09 |
BEIJING DECLARES WAR ON NEW BREED OF DRUG USERS
Successful, Young, Professional - The Profile Hardly Fits Drug Abusers -
But It Applies To More And More Of Them In China's Night Spots
BEIJING -- High-income Chinese professionals are cashing in on new leisure
drugs and as a result they have become the focus of an anti-drug campaign.
Since February, police have infiltrated more than 21,000 discos, bars and
karaoke lounges and made spot checks to flush out young drug users.
Up to 882 night spots have been warned or closed down, according to Chinese
public security authorities.
Many white-collar workers have become traffickers in amphetamine-type
stimulant drugs such as ice and 'shaking head pills', slang for ecstasy.
The trade is now common in big cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.
While the crackdown on drugs is a year-long activity, the fact that young
people are now involved has given the authorities a new sense of urgency.
Official statistics have yet to list specifics such as profession or income
group - there aren't even statistics on how many young professionals take
drugs.
Most likely, the authorities do not have much in-depth information on such
a new and burgeoning social trend.
But one thing is for sure, social scientists blame the pressure of city
life for increased drug use among the young.
'Young people are stressed out at work and drugs help them relax. They have
money to buy them and don't think there's any harm in that,' said Professor
Chen Lisi, a sociologist at the China Youth College for Political Sciences.
For many professionals, work had become the centre of their lives and they
used drugs to fill a spiritual vacuum, she said.
There are other reasons to step up vigilance - officials fear China's
emerging HIV crisis could be made worse by intravenous drug users sharing
needles.
Given that many crimes are drug-related, the authorities have to come down
hard on the scourge in order to maintain social stability.
Police statistics show that more than 30 per cent of robberies and
burglaries are committed by drug users or those associated with drug
trafficking.
Better road and rail conditions have made narcotics smuggling through
Yunnan province - which borders the Golden Triangle area where Laos,
Myanmar and Thailand meet - easier.
The drug trade is also closely linked to organised crime which poses a
direct challenge to the central government's authority.
To combat China's drug problem, officials have decided it is most effective
to hunt down the smugglers.
Anti-drug units have been set up in towns near Yunnan's border and
inspection stations have been set up along the Nanning-Kunming railway.
Successful, Young, Professional - The Profile Hardly Fits Drug Abusers -
But It Applies To More And More Of Them In China's Night Spots
BEIJING -- High-income Chinese professionals are cashing in on new leisure
drugs and as a result they have become the focus of an anti-drug campaign.
Since February, police have infiltrated more than 21,000 discos, bars and
karaoke lounges and made spot checks to flush out young drug users.
Up to 882 night spots have been warned or closed down, according to Chinese
public security authorities.
Many white-collar workers have become traffickers in amphetamine-type
stimulant drugs such as ice and 'shaking head pills', slang for ecstasy.
The trade is now common in big cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.
While the crackdown on drugs is a year-long activity, the fact that young
people are now involved has given the authorities a new sense of urgency.
Official statistics have yet to list specifics such as profession or income
group - there aren't even statistics on how many young professionals take
drugs.
Most likely, the authorities do not have much in-depth information on such
a new and burgeoning social trend.
But one thing is for sure, social scientists blame the pressure of city
life for increased drug use among the young.
'Young people are stressed out at work and drugs help them relax. They have
money to buy them and don't think there's any harm in that,' said Professor
Chen Lisi, a sociologist at the China Youth College for Political Sciences.
For many professionals, work had become the centre of their lives and they
used drugs to fill a spiritual vacuum, she said.
There are other reasons to step up vigilance - officials fear China's
emerging HIV crisis could be made worse by intravenous drug users sharing
needles.
Given that many crimes are drug-related, the authorities have to come down
hard on the scourge in order to maintain social stability.
Police statistics show that more than 30 per cent of robberies and
burglaries are committed by drug users or those associated with drug
trafficking.
Better road and rail conditions have made narcotics smuggling through
Yunnan province - which borders the Golden Triangle area where Laos,
Myanmar and Thailand meet - easier.
The drug trade is also closely linked to organised crime which poses a
direct challenge to the central government's authority.
To combat China's drug problem, officials have decided it is most effective
to hunt down the smugglers.
Anti-drug units have been set up in towns near Yunnan's border and
inspection stations have been set up along the Nanning-Kunming railway.
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