Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

A ccording to the statistics from the office of Chinese National Narcotic Control Commission (NNCC), the cumulative number of registered drug abusers in mainland China increased from 70,000 in 1990 to 2,098,000 .by the end of 2012. Heroin continues to be the most commonly abused drug. According to the data from NNCC, heroin abusers made up 60.6% of the total registered drug abusers in 2012. Recent epidemiologic survey shows that the heroin abuse has leveled off and may actually be declining in most provinces. However, the synthetic drugs or new emerging drug which majority of that are the psychotropic substances such as ice (methamphetamine, MA) shake-head pill (MDMA or ecstasy) K powder (Ketamine) and shake-head water have penetrated into China through various channels since 2000. The first reported case of MDMA abuse we surveyed appeared in China in 1999. Since then, methamphetamine and MDMA abuse has spread to disco clubs and public entertainment within the urban areas of major cities, and is rapidly epidemic in many areas. Our epidemiologic survey show that amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) or new emerging drug abuse produced multiple social, health and individual consequences

Biography

Zhimin Liu graduated from Beijing Medical University in 1978,and Diploma study of Addictive Behaviour in StGeorges Hospital Medical School, University of London from 1993-1994. He is an epidemiological expert on Drug Dependence and Drug Abuse. He is Director of Department of Drug Epidemiology and Vice-Director of National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University. He is responsible for Drug Surveillance and is the Director of National Surveillance Center for Drug Abuse. He also provides the government service of technical consultation on drug control and harm reduction. He is the expert of National Working Group of MMTP from 2003 to present in China. Prof. Lius research fields are drug abuse survey and evaluation, drug prevention and policy, and drug related harm reduction. He had published more than 150 scientific papers.