Beijing has approximately 26,000 registered drug addicts, Beijing News reported on Thursday. However, sources with the municipal anti-drug commission said that the number of drug addicts in Beijing is actually far higher.

Registered drug addicts account for 0.186 percent of Beijing's total population, reported Beijing News, citing the anti-drug commission.

Only 4,000 of the registered drug users are aged 35 and above, while young people - persons aged 35 years and under - account for about 88 percent.

Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau ordered on Wednesday that all drug addicts in the municipality must get themselves registered before June 10, and the government will provide rehabilitation assistance.

Those who fail to report themselves to the municipal government before the deadline will face three to six months of compulsory rehabilitation.

The anti-drug commission has promised that all information about the drug users will be kept private and confidential.

Compulsory registration constitutes a part of the city's four-month campaign, launched on Wednesday, to ascertain the exact number of drug users. Citizens are also encouraged to report drug addicts to public security organizations.

Beijing prosecuted more than 5,600 drug-related cases and seized some 6,100 suspects between 2000 and 2003.

As of 2003, there were some 1,348 registered cases of HIV, 716 of which were as a result of needle-sharing among drug users.

In related news, special columns will appear in 41 major local newspapers from 28 provinces to support the country's "people's war" on drugs beginning June 1, the Public Security Ministry said at a meeting in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, this newspaper campaign is the first of its kind. The National Narcotics Control Commission and related departments initiated the unusual campaign to complement the nationwide battle against drug-related crimes.

"It is crucial to increase the public's awareness of drug prevention. This is why we chose local mainstream newspapers to publicize the information," said an official of the ministry.

The "people's war" against drugs is aimed at identifying the sources of drugs, curbing drug-related crimes, and preventing a rise in the number of drug addicts.

China's central authorities have attached great importance to the anti-drug work. Last year, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held a special meeting to discuss anti-drug policies, as a result of which the State Council issued a five-year plan of anti-drug activities.

China had an estimated 791,000 drug addicts in 2,102 counties at the end of 2004, up 6.8 percent from 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2005)