The USA still can use death penalty for their equivalent of class A dealing; I’m not 100% sure myself if CN have actually used it for drugs for years (unlike Iran which does use it to fit up political activists).
In any case the offenders have to be caught with loads to warrant its use and have a history of recreational drug use; people don’t suddenly start on non-prescribed drugs in their middle age.
There may be a variation in penalties between the North and South of China or the penalties are dependent on harm caused. Normally if a country does use death penalty for drugs its reported internationally as the intention is to deter foreign smugglers.
Since 2004 nearly all SE Asian countries have stopped handing out the death penalty for lesser drugs offences and even before that they raised the amount that was needed to prove a “dealing” offence as opposed to possession.
Although people think Asia is big and well populated; in reality there are less babies being born each year and Asian women have menopause earlier than in the West. Some Asian countries also have more female science professors than many Western ones. That includes Southern China as well as the more advanced nations such as Singapore and Malaysia.
They do realise it is pointless and far more dangerous to a country than any form of terrorism to execute healthy young people who could produce children when populations are declining.
