Regulating Drug Dependency in China: The 2008 PRC Drug Prohibition Law

This paper examines the reforms to powers of Chinese state agencies to deal with drug-dependent people introduced by the PRC Drug Prohibition Law 2008. Although professing to take a more humane approach to problems of drug dependency, the law retains a police-centered approach to regulation. The law provides for a set of interconnected police powers that include: registration; imposition of a 3 year term of community rehabilitation; administrative detention for 2 years; and the possibility of a further supervised rehabilitation order upon release. In the absence of detailed implementing regulations, this paper examines the different ways local agencies are interpreting and implementing these powers. (Published Abstract)