The courts were told to deal with drug offenders severely on Wednesday after the number of people sentenced in drug cases topped 100,000 in a year for the first time.

Gao Guijun, chief judge at the criminal department of the Supreme People's Court, said that every court in the country should give the death penalty to those who commit serious drug offenses.

Last year, the courts punished 109,692 drug offenders, 66,332 more than the 2007 figure, according to the latest statistics from the top court.

From January to May this year, 48,346 defendants were punished for drug-related crimes, a year-on-year increase of about 19.5 percent.

As the figures rise, the number of crimes resulting from the use of drugs - including homicide, robbery and intentional injury - has also risen sharply, Gao said.

"Some people start to transport and make drugs after they take drugs for a period of time, while some drug users commit violent crimes," Gao said.

On Aug 11, 2013, Wang Zuwen, a 22-year-old jobless man from Yongchun, Fujian province, stabbed his adoptive grandparents to death with a sword and injured his adoptive father after taking ketamine.

Ketamine is often used as an anesthetic in hospitals, but private use was banned in 2003.

The Intermediate People's Court at Quanzhou in Fujian sentenced Wang to death for homicide and intentional injury, and he was executed on Tuesday.

"We won't give an offender a lenient punishment because he uses drugs, as drug taking is not an excuse for committing other crimes," Gao said.

The Criminal Law says people who transport or produce drugs or allow others to use drugs on their premises should receive heavy penalties, but users only face administrative punishments.

Jiang Liangdong, deputy director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said the number of crimes resulting from drug use, such as fatal attacks on relatives and car crashes, has increased in the capital.

"Taking drugs is not only harmful to the users' health, but also to public security," Jiang said. "Drug users cannot control themselves, and this creates potential danger for others."

The level of crimes such as homicide and robbery has declined nationwide in recent years, but the number of drug-related offenses has grown by more than 15 percent annually.

"This means the drug situation in China is still grim" said Ma Yan, a judge at the top court's criminal department.

Ma said that, in addition to the imposition of more severe penalties by the courts, efforts should be made by other departments to raise awareness of the harm caused by drugs.

"The problem cannot be rooted out only by crackdowns by the judicial bodies," Ma added.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn