Jun 1
The newly promulgated Narcotics Control Law of the People's Republic of China has taken effect since June 1, 2008. As the basic law on narcotics control, it regulates the leadership system, working and security mechanism and other related work in this field. Yang Fengrui, deputy secretary general of National Narcotics Control Commission and also director of the Ministry of Public Security's Narcotics Control Bureau, underlines five focuses of the new law on narcotics control.

Firstly, it specifies that drug control shall be the responsibilities for the whole society, including the governments at all levels, relative ministries and departments and people in all walks of life.

Secondly, the narcotics control commission is written into the Law of Narcotics Control, which requires the State Council to establish the National Narcotics Control Commission, and the local governments at or above county level may, in light of the local needs, set up narcotics control committee which can organize, coordinate and guide the drug control work in their respective administrative areas. The establishment of narcotics control commission demonstrates that the CPC and the government have intensified their efforts to curb the drug abuses and that is based on the results of practical experiences.

Thirdly, the law particularly gives priority to preventive education in association with comprehensive drug control model as well as with simultaneous efforts in banning the cultivation, production, traffic and abuse of drugs.

Fourthly, it specifies the security mechanism and system on narcotics control. It requires that the local governments at or above county level shall put narcotics control into their general plan of the local economic development and list the drug control expense as part of their fiscal budget, which can meet the demands for the work of narcotics control.

Fifthly, the Law conducts significant reforms on the mechanism of drug treatment and rehabilitation in accordance with the people-first principle. It abolishes the previous main models of compulsory and reeducation-through-labor treatment and transforms into such measures as the compulsory isolated drug treatment, community drug treatment, community rehabilitation, voluntary drug treatment, and drug maintenance treatment, etc.