Beijing Claims US Marijuana’s Legalization is a ‘Threat to CHINA’

The trade war between the United States and China has been an ever-escalating situation over the past few months. In a new development, Beijing has claimed that the legalization of marijuana in some states of the United States and Canada has resulted in a spike in the volume of drugs that are being smuggled into China.

Rising Marijuana Users

The deputy director at the China National Narcotics Control Commission, Liu Yuejin, held a press conference in Beijing on Monday. It was revealed that the number of marijuana users in the country had increased alarmingly in 2018. Liu stated that as of 2018, the number of marijuana users stood at 24,000, which was an increase of 25%.

Liu Yuejin went on to state that parcels filled with marijuana and marijuana-derived products are being sent to China from the United States and Canada. Liu also presented important figures with regards to the parcels that are being sent. He said that the authorities in China had managed to intercept as many as 155 packages in 2018 and the packages contained 55 kilos of marijuana in total. More details came to light in the press conference as Liu stated that foreign students in China are responsible for most of these parcels. However, among the 155 deliveries that had been intercepted, Beijing did not categorically state how many of them had been sent from the United States or Canada.

Chinese laws are extremely tough when it comes to drug trafficking and it applies to foreign nationals in the country as well. A person who is caught with even 50 grams of a contraband substance could face the death penalty in China.  Chinese law enforcement has been quite active in its efforts to stamp out drug use in the country and patrons at nightclubs and bars are regularly asked to go through random drug tests.