People Oriented, Scientific Rehabilitation and Comprehensive Treatment to Solve Problems (6)

4. Period of opium prohibition and eradication (Opium-free province, from 1950 to the early stage of reform and opening up)

Guizhou was free from opium during the 30 years from the founding of New China to the 1980s, and was called the “opium-free province.”

Guizhou was liberated on November 15, 1949 and the People’s Government of Guizhou was set up on December 26 in the same year. Drug control was discussed at the first government meeting. On January 26, 1950, the People’s Government of Guizhou issued the order of prohibiting and eradicating opium, and released the notice of opium control and the Statement to the People in Guizhou on Opium Prohibition and Eradication. (The Central People’s Government issued the instructions on drug control on February 24, 1950.) Later, the People’s Government of Guizhou successively issued the Measures for Opium and Drug Control and Eradication, and the Order on Prohibiting from Planting, Abusing, and Transporting Opium, to ban opium trafficking, planting and abusing. Anti-opium movement was promoted throughout the province. (“Opium Ending Movement” in 1950 and “Opium-smoking Ban Movement”) After three years of efforts, Guizhou became one of the provinces that eradicated opium at the earliest in New China, and drug harms were minimized in history. It was a splendid achievement in Guizhou’s drug control history since the start of opium harms to the province.