From “Historical Drug Trauma” to “Zero Tolerance Policy”

China’s long road from narcoterrorism and narcotics crimes to strict control

Annem Urshitha Sri | China Global Television Network

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As said by the delegate of China in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), China has extensive and permeable boarders with the “Golden Triangle” (the mountainous region where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet). The global triangle is a major international hub for illicit drug production. China’s geographical location being adjacent to this drug production has caused the problem of Narcotics crimes in the past, with approximately 21.8 million registered drug users nationwide as of 2020.

The Chinese government sees the problem of narcotics as a major and significant issue. As such, multiple law enforcements and measures have been put in place to resolve this issue as part of China’s “zero tolerance” policy on narcotics crimes.

Firstly, the “capital punishment” which was put into action. In capital punishment, courts combine harsh penalties with broader enforcement targeting not only street-level dealers but also manufacturers, smugglers, traffickers and organised networks. As a result of the capital punishment, the 49,603 individuals who were charged for major narcotics crimes in 2023 had reduced to 9,343 in the first five months of 2025, which is nearly 33% lower. The consistent drop in convictions, arrests and new registered drug users suggests the strong sentencing combined with supply-chain disruption, likely deterring large-scale traffickers and reducing the volume of illicit drugs. The advanced cooperative framework has proven to be effective in reducing the national narcotics cases. It highlights the fruitful integration of penalties and supply chain disruption. Furthermore, Jeff Sessions, a former United States attorney, had also praised China for this measure as a model for the U.S.

Secondly, national initiatives like the “People’s War on Drugs” which is a multi-faceted national strategy that combines mass public education and rehabilitation programme framing drug control as a patriotic duty to protect social order and stability. Over 100 million students now receive structured anti-drug education each year in China’s primary, secondary and vocational schools. Anti-drug education plays a critical role in long-term drug prevention by shaping knowledge, attitudes and decision-making at an early stage in life. This thus helps to reduce the drug crimes of the future generation. It changes the mindsets of the young by showing the truths of drug usage. The strong focus on prevention over punishment, protection of nation-building youth and the early intervention to reduce drug demand suggests the strategic and proactive implementation of integrating the knowledge of drugs into education.

Finally, the “13 drug-related criminal offences”, as the delegate of China explained. This is a recent legal framework to prevent the illegal diversion of chemicals, equipment and substances. They work through multi-agency enforcements, involving public security authorities, customs, tax authorities, cyber regulators, as well as logistics and postal regulators. This framework that was put in place in November 2025 is targeted at continuing to further improve the number of narcotics crimes in China. It raises the idea of being forward-looking and being prepared beforehand. It also acts as a model for the citizens to follow and

understand the extent of urgency of the issue of narcotics crimes.

All things considered, there has been historical narcotics trauma in China especially due to its border with the global triangle. Through the notes passed from the delegate of China, we can understand the main actions that have been put in place to tackle this issue and improve significantly from the past. The actions discussed were the capital punishments, including long imprisonments and national initiatives like “People’s War on Drugs”, which have shown significant results and proven to be impactful. Policies put in place, such as the 13 drug-related criminal offences to remain steadfast and ready, have also been discussed.