BEIJING: Chinese courts have been directed to apply the law strictly when adjudicating cases related to narcotic and psychotropic substances and to collaborate with other agencies to enhance public legal education.
The directive was issued by the Supreme People’s Court, China’s top court, on Monday, following a rise in the proportion of “new drug” cases in recent years.
Liu Weibo, deputy chief judge of the SPC’s Fifth Criminal Division, noted that while China has seen a steady decline in overall drug-related cases, issues involving new types of drugs are a growing concern.
He presented data indicating that courts across the country concluded 23,732 first-instance drug-related cases in 2025, reflecting a 33.82 percent decrease from the 36,000 cases in 2024 and an 82.93 percent drop from the 139,000 cases in 2015.
“Despite this progress, the current drug situation in China remains complex and volatile due to various international and domestic factors. Particularly, the challenges posed by new drugs are becoming more acute, complicating anti-drug efforts,” he said.
He highlighted that cases involving new drugs have started to outnumber those related to traditional drugs, with some provinces reporting that new drug cases constitute more than half of all drug-related cases. For instance, in Guangdong province, new drug cases accounted for about 83 percent and 71 percent of all drug cases handled by local courts in 2024 and 2025, respectively. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
