Demographic characteristics and illegal drug use patterns among attendees of drug cessation programs in China.

Demographic characteristics and patterns of illegal drug use were assessed among 833 Chinese drug addicts in 1996 at six drug cessation programs in Yunnan and Guangxi, People's Republic of China. The majority of addicts were male, young, single, and with little education. About half were unemployed when they entered the programs. Heroin was the predominant drug. The two most common routes of drug administration were intravenous injection and sniffing or snorting. Two-thirds of the addicts reported at least daily use. Although they were only a small proportion of drug addicts in this sample, females reported earlier onset and a longer history of drug use than males.