More than 210,000 addicts receiving treatment

A virtual reality system simulates some common scenarios for drug abusers to test their physiological data at a drug detoxification center in Yuxi, Yunnan province, on Monday. CHEN ZEBING/CHINA DAILY

At the end of December, about 214,300 drug addicts were registered in drug rehabilitation centers undergoing compulsory treatment, according to a Ministry of Justice report released on Tuesday.

Of those, 90 percent were male and those aged under 50 accounted for 88.3 percent, according to the report on China's drug rehabilitation situation.

The addicts' educational level was generally low and the drugs they consumed were mainly heroin and methamphetamine, it said.

According to the report, China has been developing new detox methods, including a virtual reality system that is used to simulate drug-craving cues in order to collect psychological data for assessment.

A sports-based method has also been used since last year, in which addicts are guided to form exercise habits to better regulate their emotions, it said.

Those who undergo compulsory treatment in isolated facilities are assessed as seriously addicted to drugs and unsuitable for rehabilitation in the community. They are subjected to treatment in closed facilities for two years.

By the end of last year, China had 370 compulsory drug detoxification centers, which have treated over 1.4 million addicts, the report said.

On Wednesday, an international forum on drug rehabilitation will be held in Kunming, Yunnan province, with 100 professionals and officials from 14 countries and regions, to discuss new technologies and methods applied in detox, the ministry said on Tuesday.

Editor: Wang Shixue