BEIJING, July 30 -- The Chinese government on Thursday launched a three-year program to reduce the number of underage drug users and increase awareness among youth.

The program, launched by the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) and Ministry of Education, is aimed at keeping the number of underage drug offenders at less than 0.3 percent of all drug offenders and achieving a "notable reduction" in new users.

According to the program, the government and schools will target young people ages 10 to 25 and launch a large-scale awareness campaign to reach all students.

The NNCC warned in a statement that the average age of drug users in China has fallen over the years. As of June, about 1.89 million registered drug users across China were younger than 35, accounting for 58.4 percent of the total.

Liu Yuejin, deputy director of the NNCC, pledged that the administration will treat the program as a priority in the next three years.