Guangdong police have launched a special campaign to fight drugged-driving as traffic accidents related to drug use increase.
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The police will introduce more effective measures to investigate and combat drugged-driving, said Wang Junke, director of drug enforcement for the Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security.
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Many addicts usually hallucinate after taking drugs, which could cause traffic accidents, Wang said.
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The campaign was launched after a growing number of traffic accidents caused by drugged-driving were reported in the province in recent months. But Wang did not disclose the number of accidents caused by drugged-driving that have been reported in the southern province.
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Police investigated two drugged-drivers in a pilot inspection campaign launched in Zhongshan city on Sunday night. Wang said more than 300 vehicles and about 350 drivers have been investigated under the campaign.
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"Zhongshan has been selected in the fight against drugged-driving in Guangdong," Wang told a press conference.
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The province is the first to select a pilot city to investigate and fight drugged-driving on the Chinese mainland. Should the pilot prove successful, the campaign will be expanded to other cities.
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Drivers stopped are required to give a saliva sample and must also provide a urine sample if they are suspected of driving under the influence of drugs, Wang said.
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More than 18,000 drugged-drivers, out of the total 72,000 drug users, have had their licenses cancelled in Guangdong.
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Addicts lose their licenses when traffic police are told by local drug rehabilitation centers and neighborhood committees that the addicts can no longer drive because of serious addiction.
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Zhu Xingzhou, a lawyer with the Foshan-based Guangdong Chanbo Law Firm, said, "Drugged-drivers can be sentenced to six months in prison and the punishment will be more serious if they cause a traffic accident."
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Wang said police across Guangdong solved 8,077 drug-related cases, detaining 8,800 suspects, in the first five months of this year. This was a 12.2 percent year-on-year increase in the number of suspects detained.
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Officers seized 2.4 tons of drugs, 39 guns and 191 bullets when they destroyed 103 secret drug production bases from January to May.
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In 2012, police in the province cracked 21,000 drug cases and detained more than 22,000 suspects, up 11.6 percent and 10.7 percent respectively on 2011.
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A total of 4.7 tons of drugs were seized and 228 underground drug production locations destroyed in 2012.
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Wang said new types of drugs, including Ice, ketamine and Ecstasy, have surpassed traditional drugs in popularity among drug users in the province.
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Among the new addicts detected in 2012, some 61.6 percent used modern drugs, up from 7.8 percent in 2008.
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Guangdong has more than 360,000 registered drug addicts, about a sixth of the national total, and more than 40,000 new addicts are detected each year in the province, according to police.
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Wang said officers across the province will strengthen the crackdown on drugged-related crimes in coming months with priority given to smashing gangs, organized crime, drug networks and channels.