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China had one million registered drug addicts by the end of 2002, up 11 percent on the figure for 2001, according to an official with the Ministry of the Public Security.
Illegal drug use was recorded in 2,148 cities, counties and districts across China, 97 more than in 2001.
Youths and teenagers made up 74 percent of the registered drug addicts, and 25,000 drug addicts died from overdoses in recent years.
Statistics indicate 30 percent of property-related crimes in most provinces and regions of China were committed by drug addicts, with the rate being as high as 70 percent in some areas.
Drug addiction is also a major spread channel for AIDS. Of the more than 40,000 AIDS patients reported in 2002 across China, two thirds were drug addicts.
(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2003)
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