China records decline in drug users among young people

The number of newly identified drug users in China under the age of 35 has fallen by more than 40 per cent year-on-year in 2025, according to the country’s anti-narcotics authorities on Wednesday (17/6), who cited increased awareness of the risks of drug abuse among young people. The number of newly identified drug users under 35 plummeted 41.6 per cent from a year earlier, said Wei Xiaojun, an official from the office of China’s National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC), during a press conference. The data was released as China intensifies efforts to suppress drug-related crimes while preventing the abuse of illicit substances among young people through law enforcement campaigns, public education, and international cooperation. Wei, the deputy executive director of the office and head of the narcotics control bureau under China’s Ministry of Public Security, stated that China’s anti-narcotics authorities resolved approximately 27,000 criminal drug-related cases in 2025, arrested 41,000 suspects, and seized 33.5 tonnes of narcotics. Over the past year, anti-narcotics authorities across China have continued to strengthen comprehensive management of drug-related issues, advance international anti-narcotics cooperation, and achieve new progress in the country’s drug eradication efforts, Wei said.