China View: Have Strict Drug Control Measures Curbed Contraband Consumption?
MART PRODUCTION
China has a complex and longstanding problem with drug abuse and drug-related crime. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the government has prioritized extinguishing the manufacturing, trafficking and use of illicit drugs. While early efforts were successful in quelling opium production and usage, the Reform and Opening-up policy led to a fierce resurgence of the illicit drug problem. While the use of opium has declined, the use of other drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and synthetic drugs has increased over the past four decades. Cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have become major markets for these drugs. The manufacturing of fentanyl has also become a huge domestic issue with disastrous global implications.
Due to the increased demand for drugs, supply shortages, and high prices, drug production crimes have increased across the country. In response, the government has implemented strict drug laws with severe punishments including the death penalty and public executions. While efforts have been made to punish drug users through detention or by sending them to rehabilitation centers, limited progress has been made in addressing the crippling effects of the country’s illegal drug market.
“China is facing a grim task in curbing synthetic drugs, including ‘ice,’ which more and more of China’s drug addicts tend to use,”
-Liu Yuejin, Director of the Office of the National Narcotics Control Committee
To address the spread of illicit drug in the early 1950s, the government enacted the General Order for Opium Suppression, which banned the cultivation, production, and sale of opium. The policy also promoted anti-drug messaging, established a registration system for convicted drug users, and led to the construction of detoxification centers. However, the effectiveness and impact of these drug enforcement measures were initially limited due to insufficient resources and funding during this period. The second wave of drug campaigns launched in 1952 were more effective by administering severe punishments for drug-related offenses. While these measures mostly successful, the government was ill-equipped to handle the sharp increase of drug-related activity following the implementation of the Reform and Opening Up policy in 1978. Will imposing harsher punishments deter future drug-related activity?
During this period, the country experienced rapid economic development and expansion. However, the country also witnessed a sudden surge of drug-related crime. This growth triggered a growing demand for narcotics and made the country more vulnerable to drug trafficking resulting in a dramatic increase in drug-related crimes. In response, the government established the Strike Hard policy in 1983, which involved applying severe and swift punishment against criminal offenses and increasing the number of crimes punishable by the death penalty. Capital punishment would also occasionally be displayed publicly in stadiums and large spaces to deter others from engaging i illicit activities. Despite these efforts, drug trafficking and use continued to persist in many areas. From 1990 to 2006, the numbers of drug abusers officially documented increased from 70,000 to approximately 1.2 million.
To address this growing crisis, the government under the leadership of former President Hu Jintao began promoting the concept of the “Harmonious Socialist Society”. The aim of this campaign was to reduce the number of people addicted to drugs by promoting the use of "people-oriented" methods such as treatment for drug abuse and addiction. This policy shift also included the establishment of drug-free communities that were free from the use, trafficking, cultivation, and manufacturing of drugs. New laws were also implemented to directly address the rise of drug-related activity in the country. In 2008, the Anti-Drug Law was put in place and prioritized “cracking-down on drug-related crimes, promoting anti-drug propaganda and education, banning drug use, and exercising control over precursor chemicals”.
Under President Xi Jinping’s tenure, drug control has continued to be emphasized. Large-scale drug campaigns have been conducted, such as the Thunder Anti-Drug Campaign, to crack down on drug production and distribution. In 2019, Chinese law enforcement reported 83,000 drug-related investigations, including 62,000 trafficking investigations and 90,000 drug related detentions. During this time, 173 manufacturing facilities were also destroyed.
According to the Report on China’s Drug Situation published in 2020, China has achieved some success in addressing drug-related crimes. The number of drug addicts is reported to be declining and drug production is also decreasing. While the country has made some progress in reducing drug demand and production, “the number of abusers is still large, the concealment of drug abuse activities has increased, and the increase in new types of drugs has made it more difficult to control”.
The government has made substantive progress in addressing domestic drug-related activities. By the end of 2023, there were 896,000 registered drug users, which was “a year-on-year decrease of 20.3%”. However, the government’s aggressive approach to drug control has critical drawbacks that inhibit the overall effectiveness of its measures. The registration system put in place has resulted in further stigmatization and permanently inhibits the freedoms of registered drug users.
A person who is registered as a drug user in the database may remain on the list indefinitely and would be subjected to ongoing random or periodic drug testing. Electronic national identity cards are also marked with an individual’s drug use history. In 2013, the Ministry of Public Security announced that it had revoked more than 10,000 driver’s licenses and rejected over 4,000 new applications because of their drug use history. “Such restrictions deter people dependent on drugs from seeking treatment, increase stigma associated with drug use, and deny essential life opportunities to those whose ID cards are marked with drug use”.
While authorities have made progress in preventing and deterring drug activities, the lack of adequate funding continues to impede the effectiveness and scale of their drug control operations. Many drug-related criminal cases remained unsolved due to the lack of resources and most drug agencies are not equipped with basic equipment necessary to enforce drug control regulations. The use and manufacturing of synthetic drugs is also continuing to spread across the country with the rise of online trade and marketplaces. As a result of these aggressive drug crack downs, domestic drug production has also become more fragmented and small scale. These emerging issues have made it even harder for authorities to monitor and prevent illicit drug activity.
