Synthetic drug abuse rises across country

The number of Chinese drug addicts and users, especially those taking synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, has been rising sharply, leading to more violent crimes, a senior official from the National Anti-Drug Commission said.

Last year, an estimated 463,000 people started using illegal drugs, and 80 percent of them abused synthetic drugs, including meth, Liu Yuejin, deputy director of the commission and assistant to the minister of public security, said on Tuesday.

Drug addicts are usually young, most being under 35, Liu said.