17 Jun Beijing says US legalization of marijuana is a ‘threat to China’
At a press conference in Beijing Monday, Liu Yuejin, deputy director of the China National Narcotics Control Commission, said that the number of cannabis users in China had grown by more than 25% in 2018, rising to about 24,000 people.
“In two years, we have found increasing cannabis trafficked from North America to China,” he said, though he conceded there were “few cannabis abusers in China” relative to the total population.
According to Liu, China intercepted 115 packages sent through international postal parcels, containing a total of “55 kilograms (1940 ounces) of cannabis and cannabis products” in 2018.
Liu said that most of the suspects connected to the seized parcels had been foreign students or students who had come home after working abroad. He said most of the drugs had been transported through international express delivery. Liu did not specify how many of the packages came from North America.
China severely punishes those caught smuggling or trafficking drugs, including foreigners. Anyone found with more than 50 grams (1.76 ounces) of a controlled substance can face the death penalty.
China has stepped up its efforts to combat the sale of illegal drugs in recent years. Authorities in major cities, including Beijing, have been known to carry out spot drug tests at bars and nightclubs in a bid to clamp down on recreational drug use.
The move puts it at odds with North America, where cannabis has increasing levels of social acceptance.
Cannabis isn’t the only drug which has caused divisions between the US and China. Washington has been trying for years to get Beijing to crack down on the country’s production and distribution of fentanyl, a deadly prescription drug which is devastating parts of the US.
The Chinese government announced in April that it would crackdown on fentanyl-related substances in what was seen as a concession to the Trump administration, who had been pushing hard for greater enforcement.
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