Season 4: Breaking Bad in China

I understand that China has had quite a history with illegal drug use and sees it as a threat to social stability, but when I heard that drug crimes were on the rise, the numbers made be wonder whether this was on account of more enforcement, greater use, or something else.

Turns out it’s something else. China Daily reports on the problem:

A total of 17,462 criminals involved in drug-related cases received sentences last year ranging from five years imprisonment to death, a 9 percent increase on the previous year[.]

The rate of severe penalties in drug cases stood at 31 percent in 2009, 15 percent higher than all criminal cases, according to Sun Jungong, spokesman of the Supreme People’s Court.

“We can see that severe penalties have played an important role in preventing drug crimes from spreading,” he said.

That’s a nice talking point. Sounds like something Nancy Reagan would have said in the 80s. Just say no . . . no statistical support for that statement, that is.

In 2009, courts nationwide held trials for 50,928 drug-related cases, a 16.5 percent increase on the previous year. A total of 56,125 people involved received criminal punishments.

The top court also revealed that six criminals were executed on Wednesday for producing, smuggling and selling drugs.

In 2009, both the cases and amount of drugs seized leapt from the previous year. “There has also been an increase in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year,” said Sun.

To further curb drug crime, the top court has instructed courts across the country to continue to impose heavy sentences on drug dealers, especially repeat offenders.

“For those whose crime is severe enough to warrant the death sentence, the Supreme People’s Court will resolutely approve the execution,” Sun said.

OK, all of this is interesting, but it’s not dispositive as to whether we are looking at an enforcement surge or an increase in use. All right, enough with the suspense. Here’s the answer:

“While traditional drugs like opium and heroin still constitute a large part of the market, there have been more and more new drugs in recent years, mostly methamphetamine (Ice) and ketamine (Special K),” said Gao Guijun, a judge for the Supreme People’s Court.

“More criminals have been discovered producing the new drugs, which accounts for the rise in drug case,” he added.

Yes, there you go. More new drugs, which can be cooked up in labs as opposed to being grown and harvested in places like the Golden Triangle. So the government is faced with a proliferation of new suppliers and wants to put on a show of force to discourage others who might be thinking about putting in a meth lab in their basement.

Among the drugs seized nationwide in 2009, about 59 percent were traditional drugs, a decrease of 7 percent from 2008, while about 40 percent were new drugs, a 7 percent rise on the previous year.

Two years ago, courts usually did not deliver death sentences to those making and selling new drugs, but an increasing number of criminals have been found producing and selling new drugs, Gao said.

“So we have started to impose the death penalty in those cases.”

Let’s hope this doesn’t escalate. The last thing we need is the kind of ridiculous “Drug War” that has been such an abysmal failure in the U.S., doing little to stop people from getting drugs but putting hundreds of thousands of people in prison.