China Blames U.S. and Canada for Rise in Cannabis Incidents
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]hina’s drug enforcement department blamed the rise in international cannabis seizures on Canada and the United States in a press conference on June 17. Calling it a “new threat to China” China’s National Narcotics Control Commission sounded the alarm over an uptick in incidents involving cannabis.
Liu Yuejin is deputy director of the China National Narcotics Control Commission. “In two years, we have found increasing cannabis trafficked from North America to China,” Yuejin told CNN.
According to Yuejin, China intercepted 115 packages containing cannabis sent through internationally, containing a total of “55 kilograms (1940 ounces) of cannabis and cannabis products” during 2018. Meanwhile, China continues to pump massive amounts of fentanyl into North America, which contributes to the devastating epidemic of opioid overdoses. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl was responsible for one in four overdose deaths in America during 2018.
Consuming cannabis for recreational purposes is relatively rare in most of China’s provinces—despite being home to a burial site of one of the earliest examples of cannabis smoking. Last year, China blamed Canada for cannabis incidents, despite producing a major fraction of the world’s cannabis products. China’s experts said that most of the seized packages were brought back by college-aged students who studied abroad in various places in North America.
Compared to many states in the U.S., China’s drug policy is much more draconian. Those who are caught with over 50 grams of cannabis, for instance, can face the death penalty. Also in major cities in China, it’s not uncommon for employees at bars or nightclubs to ask their patrons to complete a drug test on the spot.
There is a great divide in the way North America and China perceive cannabis. In North America, it is viewed as a fairly harmless plant, and in China, it’s viewed as a dangerous narcotic, and there appears to be less emphasis on opioid control.
