I was going to make a facetious comment like, “Yes, comrade. There is no illicit drug use in China thanks to 100% effective policy and the people’s commitment to their patriotic duty.”
Then I read the other comments and didn’t want to look like just another shill for China. I count USA whataboutism as shilling since no one asked.
considering all of the fentanyl & other illicit chemicals made in China, I rather doubt it.
I think the problem with China is that the official metrics are likely to be skewed to portray a positive image of Chinese governance. The drug problem is probably worse, but we don’t know how bad it is compared to the norm.
This gets tied to China’s issues with the Opium Wars and the Century of Humiliation, so I expect any discussion in China to be very sensitive given its historic significance.
If you’re on the side of black market drugs and oppressive violence, it is very effective at farming those negative qualities in a society.