Police in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province destroy 312 kilograms of smuggled heroin, crack, methamphetamines and marijuana on Wednesday. Guangzhou police found the drugs by inspecting suspicious travelers, packages and cargos. Photo: IC

Shanghai's anti-drug authority said on Wednesday that the city's drug control work has seen an improvement for three consecutive years with less drug addicts and less new addicts.  

By the end of 2019, there were 36,529 drug addicts in the city, a decrease of 4,743 or 11.49% year-on-year. Both the total number of existing drug addicts and newly discovered drug addicts has declined for three consecutive years, said an official from Shanghai's anti-drug regulator on Wednesday.

Wang Shiping, the head of Shanghai's anti-drug office, told the media that although these positive signs have shown their endeavor, the rising trend of marijuana users worries them. According to Wang, in 2017 and 2018, authorities in Shanghai seized 10 kilograms and 15.4 kilograms of marijuana respectively, which soared to 52 kilograms in 2019. 

Affected by international drug transportation, the inflow of drugs from abroad is still prominent in Shanghai. The authority said that in 2019, Shanghai police cracked 1,837 drug cases, transferred 2,391 suspects for prosecution, and seized 175 kilograms of various drugs. 

Shanghai's move and briefing in terms of anti-drug efforts have never drawn as much attention as this year. Also on Wednesday, Shanghai police announced that they had arrested a celebrity for taking drugs and allowing others to do so. 

With the stage name of Com and known as China's Russell Peters, the talk show host and comedian has about 750,000 followers on Sina Weibo, but many fans have cut off ties with him after his other identity was unveiled. 

"Why you did that stupid thing? You really disappointed me and that hurt me a lot," said a fan of Com under his previous posts. 

Com's company based in Shanghai said on Wednesday that they will cooperate with authorities and suspend Com's work indefinitely in the hope that he would reflect deeply and take concrete actions to make up for the negative impact of his behavior on society.

The hashtag for Com taking drugs has quickly received over 490 million views and 670,000 comments within five hours. Many netizens believe that it is almost unforgiveable for a public figure who has a great impact on youth's thoughts and behavior.

"I totally support our anti-drug moves and our police officers have made great sacrifices. He may have a second chance to restart but please quit the sight of the public," one internet user commented on Weibo.

"I would like to see a severe punishment in accordance with the law for such influencers among teenagers, but don't hurt the talk shows," said another. 

Chen Hanhui, former director of a drug rehabilitation center with the Shanghai Mental Health Center, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China's efforts to crack down on drugs have been on the rise in recent years. As the detection and treatment of drug addicts are not developed enough in China, the strict crackdown on drug trafficking and drug-taking are in line with the national conditions.

Drugs give content creators and performers' sensory stimulation, making them more sensitive and inspired. However, it also brings memory loss, delusion and a range of mental and physical damage. So despite Com's public image collapsing, his arrest could help him turn his life around, Chen said. 

"The drug users are also victims of the drugs," said Chen. "The evil behind is the drug smugglers. We should cooperate with police to crack down on more cases from the beginning of the evil chain."