BEIJING, June 22 -- Beijing faces tough battle against drugs, the municipal narcotics control commission said on Thursday.

Drug problem is spreading with drug-related crimes frequent. The narcotics situation in Beijing is rather complicated, Tao Jing, deputy director of the commission and deputy police chief, told a press conference.

Beijing has over 36,000 registered drug addicts, most of whom use synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, said Tao.

During the past ten years, the number of drug addicts in Beijing grew an average of 15.6 percent every year, he said.

"We find drug addicts not only in downtown areas, but also in suburbs. Many teenagers also use drugs," he said.

Since 2014, police have caught more people using marijuana, he said.

In Beijing, at least 10,000 people have used crystal meth for five years or more.

"This year, at least five accidents were caused by repeated crystal meth users," Tao said.

Police have acted against drug crime, revoked drivers' licenses for drug addicts and shut down their telephone numbers.

In 2016, 10,974 drug-related arrests were made and 71.7 kilograms of various narcotics were confiscated.

At the same press conference, Zhu Xiaoqin, Beijing's deputy attorney-general, said there have been more arrests and prosecutions for drug crimes than other type of criminal offences.