I.Sticking to the Position of Strict Drug
Control
The Chinese government believes that drugs are a worldwide public hazard
confronting the whole of mankind, and drug control is an imminent and common
responsibility incumbent to international society. Drugs harm people's health, give rise
to corruption and crimes, disrupt sustainable development and endanger national security
and world peace. Therefore, all illegal activities involving drugs must be strictly
prohibited and eliminated. The Chinese people feel keenly the harm of drugs, and know that
drug control is in their fundamental interests.
Safeguarding citizens' lives, and protecting the people's subsistence and development are
the lofty responsibilities of the Chinese government. For many years, the Chinese
government has taken drug control as a fundamental objective, and has formulated and
implemented a series of principles, policies and measures in this regard.
-- Attending to drug control as a vital matter involving the rise and fall of the Chinese
nation. We take drug control as a basic policy and include it in the program for national
economic and social development, and make it an important duty of governments at all
levels. The governments at all levels have set up a drug control work responsibility
system that suits the actual conditions of China to maintain the permanent momentum in
drug control.
-- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. We take drug control as a complex
social system project and a long-term strategic task, and use various means in a
comprehensive way -- law, administration, the economy, culture, education, and medical
treatment, to mobilize and organize all social walks of life to participate in the
anti-drug struggle.
-- Persisting in drug control according to law. In accordance with the general plan of
exercising the rule of law, we have persisted in setting up and perfecting a system of
laws and regulations concerning drug control, administered and controlled narcotics,
psychotropic substances, and precursor chemicals, prevented and punished drug-related
crimes. We have resolutely cracked down on various illegal activities involving drugs,
started drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation, corrected, cured and rescued drug
addicts, so as to guarantee that drug control work proceeds in a law-governed manner.
-- Formulating the working principle of "promoting '4-in-1 prohibitions'
simultaneously, eradicating sources of drugs and obstructing their channels of
trafficking, enforcing the law strictly, and solving the problem by examining both its
root causes and its symptoms." While prohibiting drug abuse, trafficking, cultivating
and manufacturing, we lay equal stress on the control of illicit supplies and the
prevention of drug abuse, forbid and crack down on all illegal activities involving drugs.
-- Taking the prevention of drug abuse by teenagers as a basic project in drug control. As
for teenagers, we put stress on education and protection, adopt various powerful measures,
organize and coordinate relevant government departments and various mass organizations to
perfect the preventive work, and educate youngsters to treasure their lives and refuse
drugs.
-- Actively participating in and promoting international cooperation in drug control. The
Chinese government supports international drug control cooperation, and earnestly
implements three propositions in this regard: adhering to the principle of extensive
participation and shared responsibilities; comprehensively implementing an overall and
balanced international drug control strategy; and attaching great importance to
alternative development to promote a solution to the drug problem for good.
In China, drug control is led by governments at all levels, in the care of the drug
control departments of public security authorities, co-administered by relevant government
functional departments and participated in jointly by mass organizations. In 1990, the
Chinese government set up the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC), composed of 25
departments, including the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health and General
Administration of Customs. The NNCC leads the nation's drug control work in a unified way,
and is responsible for international drug control cooperation, with an operational agency
based in the Ministry of Public Security. In 1998, with the approval of the State Council,
the Ministry of Public Security set up the Drug Control Bureau, which also serves as an
operational agency of the NNCC. Now, the governments of all the 31 provinces, autonomous
regions and municipalities and most counties (cities and districts) in China have set up
corresponding drug control leading organs. Meanwhile, the public security organs of 24
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and of the 204 regions (cities and
prefectures) and 735 counties (cities and districts) under the jurisdiction of these
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have set up police anti-drug squads.
The Chinese People's Armed Police, frontier defense force of the public security
authorities, judicial departments, Customs, supervision and control organs of
pharmaceuticals, and administration departments for industry and commerce also undertake
corresponding anti-drug law enforcement tasks.
Governments at all levels in China include the funds required for drug control in their
financial budgets, and along with the development of the national economy and the needs of
the drug control situation, the funds allocated for such purpose are expected to increase
every year. In 1998, the China Narcotics Control Foundation was set up, with the approval
of the State Council, aiming at collecting funds from society at large to support drug
control work.