Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Hi all, Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? Warm regards, Attilio D'Alberto Doctor of (Beijing, China) B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. 07786198900 enquiries <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Hi all, > > Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? Drug use or drug abuse? The subject line mentions drug abuse, the text question mentions drug prevalence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Drug use, drug abuse and drug prevalence are the same thing! Warm regards, Attilio D'Alberto Doctor of (Beijing, China) B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. 07786198900 enquiries <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Eric Brand 19 August 2005 13:00 Chinese Medicine Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Hi all, > > Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? Drug use or drug abuse? The subject line mentions drug abuse, the text question mentions drug prevalence. http://babel.altavista.com/ and adjust accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Hey Attilio, I imagine it would be hard to find reliable statistics on this since the Chinese gov't seems to be trying its best to downplay the problem. That said, I know there is a lot of heroin use in places like Xinjiang and Yunan, and in fact, I know a woman here in Hangzhou who was offered a job in Xinjiang to do AIDS research for, if I remember correctly, Johns Hopkins University, which has set up a couple AIDS research facilities here in China in areas where IV drug use is high, and thus HIV transmission is high. From what I've been told, around here, and definitely in Shanghai, designer drugs are pretty easy to come by. Marijuana use doesn't seem very popular, at least in this part of China, except among some of the foreigners. If Viagra and " Multi-Penis Pills " (a CM patent with various kinds of animal penises in it, like bull, horse, sea-lion, etc.) can be considered in your query, then I would say the abuse rate is really high! :-) Sorry I can't help with any serious statistics. You could try a web search. Greg Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Drug use, drug abuse and drug prevalence are the same thing! > > Warm regards, > > Attilio D'Alberto > Doctor of (Beijing, China) > B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. > 07786198900 > enquiries@a... > <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com > > " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part > limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and > feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical > illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) > > > > Chinese Medicine > Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Eric > Brand > 19 August 2005 13:00 > Chinese Medicine > Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China > > > Chinese Medicine , " Attilio > D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? > > Drug use or drug abuse? The subject line mentions drug abuse, the > text question mentions drug prevalence. > > > > > > > http://babel.altavista.com/ > > > and adjust > accordingly. > > Messages are the property of the author. Any duplication outside the group > requires prior permission from the author. > > If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Many thanks for the info Greg. I didn't see any drug use amongst the local Chinese population, just in the western quarters, where it was easy to come by. Having said that, alot of things are well hidden in China and drug use is one of them. Being on the border of countries within the Golden Triangle, they must have some drug trafficking going through. I believe that the WHO is investigating drug use levels, so we'll have to wait and see. Warm regards, Attilio D'Alberto Doctor of (Beijing, China) B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. 07786198900 enquiries <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Greg A. Livingston 19 August 2005 14:51 Chinese Medicine Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China Hey Attilio, I imagine it would be hard to find reliable statistics on this since the Chinese gov't seems to be trying its best to downplay the problem. That said, I know there is a lot of heroin use in places like Xinjiang and Yunan, and in fact, I know a woman here in Hangzhou who was offered a job in Xinjiang to do AIDS research for, if I remember correctly, Johns Hopkins University, which has set up a couple AIDS research facilities here in China in areas where IV drug use is high, and thus HIV transmission is high. From what I've been told, around here, and definitely in Shanghai, designer drugs are pretty easy to come by. Marijuana use doesn't seem very popular, at least in this part of China, except among some of the foreigners. If Viagra and " Multi-Penis Pills " (a CM patent with various kinds of animal penises in it, like bull, horse, sea-lion, etc.) can be considered in your query, then I would say the abuse rate is really high! :-) Sorry I can't help with any serious statistics. You could try a web search. Greg Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Drug use, drug abuse and drug prevalence are the same thing! > > Warm regards, > > Attilio D'Alberto > Doctor of (Beijing, China) > B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. > 07786198900 > enquiries@a... > <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com > > " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part > limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and > feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical > illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) > > > > Chinese Medicine > Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Eric > Brand > 19 August 2005 13:00 > Chinese Medicine > Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China > > > Chinese Medicine , " Attilio > D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? > > Drug use or drug abuse? The subject line mentions drug abuse, the > text question mentions drug prevalence. > > > > > > > http://babel.altavista.com/ > > > and adjust > accordingly. > > Messages are the property of the author. Any duplication outside the group > requires prior permission from the author. > > If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 From what I've gathered, there's indeed a lot of heroin use in the poorer areas. Chinese people tend to look down upon drug users, so people try to hide their habit at all cost. Only recently the government acknowledged that there is some sort of a drug problem. I have seen emaciated junkies in Yunnan, and people wouldn't even look at them. Designer drugs is Shanghai do exist, and I remember a story in the newspaper: a 21 year old boy had been caught with a little over a hundred xtc-pills, and was sentenced to death. I mean, in Belgium you'd be on probation for that, especially if it's your first time as a dealer. I'd say that China does not really know how to handle its drug problem. Funny detail: the Chinese name for xtc pills is yao-tou-wan, which translates as shake [your] head pills. Indeed, if you go to a Chinese club, you'll see a bunch of people headbanging away....there's always a police-officer or two in a club, btw. Sorry Atillio, no statistics here as well, just anecdotes. Tom. ---- Greg A. Livingston 08/19/05 16:14:06 Chinese Medicine Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China Hey Attilio, I imagine it would be hard to find reliable statistics on this since the Chinese gov't seems to be trying its best to downplay the problem. That said, I know there is a lot of heroin use in places like Xinjiang and Yunan, and in fact, I know a woman here in Hangzhou who was offered a job in Xinjiang to do AIDS research for, if I remember correctly, Johns Hopkins University, which has set up a couple AIDS research facilities here in China in areas where IV drug use is high, and thus HIV transmission is high. From what I've been told, around here, and definitely in Shanghai, designer drugs are pretty easy to come by. Marijuana use doesn't seem very popular, at least in this part of China, except among some of the foreigners. If Viagra and " Multi-Penis Pills " (a CM patent with various kinds of animal penises in it, like bull, horse, sea-lion, etc.) can be considered in your query, then I would say the abuse rate is really high! :-) Sorry I can't help with any serious statistics. You could try a web search. Greg Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Drug use, drug abuse and drug prevalence are the same thing! > > Warm regards, > > Attilio D'Alberto > Doctor of (Beijing, China) > B.Sc. (Hons) T.C.M., M.A.T.C.M. > 07786198900 > enquiries@a... > <http://www.attiliodalberto.com/> www.attiliodalberto.com > > " A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part > limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and > feelings, as something separated from the rest - - a kind of optical > illusion in his consciousness. " (Albert Einstein) > > > > Chinese Medicine > Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Eric > Brand > 19 August 2005 13:00 > Chinese Medicine > Re: Drug Abuse Rates in China > > > Chinese Medicine , " Attilio > D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > Has anyone got any info on the drug prevalence rate in China? > > Drug use or drug abuse? The subject line mentions drug abuse, the > text question mentions drug prevalence. > > > > > > > http://babel.altavista.com/ > > > and adjust > accordingly. > > Messages are the property of the author. Any duplication outside the group > requires prior permission from the author. > > If you are a TCM academic and wish to discuss TCM with other academics, > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Chinese Medicine , " Attilio D'Alberto " <attiliodalberto> wrote: > Drug use, drug abuse and drug prevalence are the same thing! Drug prevalence generally refers to the availability of drugs and/or the patterns of their use. Drug use and drug abuse are two totally different things. Physicians use drugs all the time, whether they are using traditional drugs or modern drugs, but they are not necessarily abusing drugs. Someone who drinks a glass of wine with dinner once per month is a drug user, but they are not necessarily a drug abuser. Interestingly, in Chinese there is only one basic word for medicinal substances- yao4. It doesn't matter whether you are taking about hematite, aspirin, deer antler, morphine, or ginseng, they are all different types of yao4. Yao4 is generally translated as " drug, " but in the context of Chinese medicine it is generally translated as " medicinal " because the word " drug " is too charged with other connotations in Western society. Yao4 is often erroneously rendered as " herb, " which is incorrect because it includes many products derived from animals or minerals (as well as labs). " Cao3 yao4 " in Chinese refers to medicinal herbs specifically. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 The use of alcohol and tobacco far eclipses the use of any other drugs in China (except for caffeine). I don't know how many people are abusing alcohol and tobacco, but many people use one or both of them regularly. Betel nut is used by more people worldwide than any other drugs besides alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. It is estimated that 10% of the world's population chews betel nut. Betel nut is only chewed in certain parts of mainland China, so its prevalence is relatively isolated. In Taiwan, betel nut use is extremely common, with vendors on virtually every street corner in certain areas. Again, I am not sure about the number of users and the number of users who end up abusing betel nut. Coffee and tea, as caffeine sources, are certainly the most commonly used drugs in China and Taiwan. Again, I don't have any figure on the number of people who use these drugs and I'm not sure how many of their users abuse them. Daily use of caffeine is definitely very common. Does this constitute abuse? Benzodiazepines are probably the next most commonly used (abused?) psychoactive drugs in China. Determining how many prescription users are, in fact, abusing their medication would be difficult to assess. Since you seem to be defining substance abuse as the use of illicit drugs rather than abuse of psychoactive drugs in general, I suppose that none of the above drugs can be considered for the substance abuse category since they are all used legally. Assessing the degree of illegal drug use in China would be very difficult because there is no system of surveys and no way to assess the degree of drug use beyond quantities seized by law enforcement agents. But this is what we can deduce from the media reports: The newspapers in Taiwan report that Ketamine is the most widely used illicit drug, and I hear that it is prevalent in China as well. Last year, the newspapers reported that 9.3 million vials of ketamine went missing in Hunan province following its classification to a more restricted category. Presumably ketamine has only qualified for " substance abuse " after it became more restricted? A major mention of drugs in the media in Taiwan revolves around large sex parties that get raided and produce a wide array of drugs, including methamphetamine, " ecstasy, " ketamine, and " designer drugs. " Another demographic of use revolves around students preparing for examinations. It is generally reported that amphetamines are commonly used relative to other classes of drugs in both Taiwan and China. However, some of these might be legally prescribed and thus not qualify. China is reputed to have a growing heroin problem that has now reached the entire nation. Cannabis use is very low in the Han population, though it is higher in Xinjiang and Yunnan than elsewhere. Cannabis grows wild everywhere in Yunnan province, even in the middle of cities. I suppose that that would make it a " prevalent " drug even though it is minimally used. There is a lot of media attention on " ecstasy " and huge seizures are reported in the news. No one knows what is actually in the pills that all those kids are eating, but authorities seem to be seizing millions of pills. Sorry that I don't have any figures to report nor any personal experience to convey. Good figures will be hard to find, but they'd be interesting to read. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Atillio: Just anecdotes in Guangzhou, too. Drugs seem to be everywhere, but no hard stats. Drug problems are definitely tied to the AIDs problem. > > Interestingly, in Chinese there is only one basic word for medicinal > substances- yao4. Chinese does have the word " Du2 " as in " xi1 du2 " which means to ingest poison. " Xidu " refers to heroin or opium and might refer to even smoking marijuana, depending on what the speaker considers to be a drug. Not many Chinese would regard tobacco as a drug, although Chinese men ingest poison every day, with government sanction. Regards, Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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