Deputy director Liu Yuejin described the increase as a "new threat to China"

The primary drug enforcement agency in Beijing is blaming federal cannabis legalization in Canada and state legalization in the U.S. for a significant increase in the amount of illicit drugs smuggled into China.

Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission deputy director Liu Yuejin told reporters at a press conference that the amount of Chinese cannabis users rose more than 25% last year (equalling approximately 24,000 people) and described the increase as a “new threat to China.”

“In two years, we have found increasing cannabis trafficked from North America to China,” Liu said.

Although he did not specify how many were from Canada or the U.S., Liu stated that most individuals suspected or convicted of drug-related offences in China were foreign students or Chinese students returning home after work or study abroad.

The penalties for smuggling illicit substances into China are extremely harsh. Individuals, foreigners or nationals, caught with over 50g of an illicit substance may face capital punishment.

Not all foreign feedback is pushback. Although Canada is warning travellers and attempting to save the lives of Canadians accused of bringing illegal substances into the country, US president Trump recently stated that he was “most excited” about China’s issuance of the death penalty to drug smugglers — although he has also claimed to support Trueau’s fight to gain clemency for accused Canadians facing execution in China.

But foreign drugs are not just pouring into China, but out of it as well. Frustration and anger over the tide of illegal fentanyl pouring into Canada and the U.S. from China has been mounting, alongside the number of deaths from opioid overdoses.

China agreed to crack down on fentanyl-related drugs in April, with new regulations taking effect on May 1. It remains to be seen whether the new rules will be effective in reducing deaths related to the drug.

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