Lin Zexu is a name known by all Chinese people. On June 3, 1839, he ordered the destruction of about 1,000 tons of smuggled opium confiscated from foreign dealers, at Humen in south China's Guangdong Province.

Two policemen burn the confiscated drugs.

Lin's heroic deed more than 160 years ago astounded the whole world.

Today, China has extended greater efforts and taken tougher measures to deal with drug smuggling, the illegal drug trade and drug use.

Drug enforcement agents in China uncovered over 110,000 cases of illegal activities and captured nearly 90,000 people suspected of criminal involvement with drugs last year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security.

Agents seized 9,290 kilograms of heroin, 1,210 kilograms of opium, 3,190 kilograms of "ice", 1,300 kilograms of marijuana, 3. 01 million pills and more than 300 tons of chemical compounds used for making drugs, said the Ministry of Public Security.

China has established drug control organizations in all its counties and cities above county level, and a drug control legal system, consisting of criminal laws, administrative regulations and local rules and regulations, has taken shape.

Drug traffickers faces severe punishments, including the death penalty.

Drug traffickers Wednesday wait for trail in Changsha, capital city of Central China's Hunan Province.[newsphoto.com.cn]

Policies banning the use, trafficking and making of drugs have also been put into effect in China. Armed police, frontier defense, the judiciary, customs, medicines management, industry and commerce administration are also required to drug control efforts.

Apart from drug trafficking and production, the increasing number of drug addicts is another tough issue that the government needs to address.

The ministry's statistics show that China had 1 million registered drug addicts by the end of 2002, up 11 percent on the figure for 2001.

About 80 percent of the drug addicts were younger than 35 years old.

To deal with the grave situation, China has established several hundred rehabilitation centers to help drug addicts.

The Ministry of Education has decided to open drug control courses in primary and middle schools starting this spring, aiming to keep children aged between 12 and 18 be away from drugs.

The All-China Women's Federation launched a three-year program titled "Don't let drugs into my family" in 2000.

Despite the achievements and great efforts China has made in drug control, international drug rings have been trafficking drugs into China said the Ministry of Public Security, stressing that all 6,380 kilograms of heroin seized in southwest China's Yunnan Province in 2002 was from abroad.

The entry of new drug products into southeast China was also trending upwards, the ministry said, adding all 11 pill laboratories uncovered in 2002 were found in Guangdong Province in south China and Fujian Province in east China.

International checks carried out by the ministry found and stopped the illegal trade of 28 shipments totaling 2,288 tons of precursor chemicals in 2002.

The ministry has called on people all over China to join efforts to uproot drugs and drug-related activities, though it will be a long and arduous task.

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