Establishing “Sunshine Project” Innovation Rehabilitation Mechanism, and Building a Harmonious Society

By Liu Zhimin, deputy head of the National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University

On August 7-10, 2012, invited by Guizhou Drug Control Commission, I investigated Huaxi of Guiyang, Qingzhen, Wudang, Kaiyang, and other cities, districts, and counties, and visited the enterprises, townships, and counties involving in the “Sunshine Project.” Through days of on-site learning and investigation, I have got a basic understanding of the “Sunshine Project.”

Drug rehabilitation and recovery is an integral part of drug control. With strong professional, social, and scientific features, is is also where the difficulty of drug control lies in. The Anti-drug Law of the People’s Republic of China was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on December 29, 2007, clearly stipulating the working principles for drug control and the government’s responsibilities, and reforming and innovating the systems and measures for drug rehabilitation and recovery. The State Council issued the Regulations on Drug Rehabilitation on June 26, 2011, pointing out that the principles for drug rehabilitation and recovery, namely people orientation, scientific rehabilitation, comprehensive treatment, and care and rescue, should be followed. As the basic laws and regulations guiding China’s drug control work, the Anti-drug Law and the Regulations on Drug Rehabilitation clarify the principle of guiding drug rehabilitation with the Scientific Outlook on Development and the policies on educating and rescuing drug addicts based on the laws and drug control work, and reflect the spirit of keeping pace with the times under China’s new social development situation. To guide drug rehabilitation with the Scientific Outlook on Development, the essence is to act according to drug rehabilitation and recovery rules, and the core is to put people first. After 20 years of continuous exploration and practices, we have learned about the general rules for drug rehabilitation, recovery, and relapse, and have summarized some scientific and effective drug rehabilitation and recovery methods and modes based on the understanding. Such valuable experience summarized on the basis of practices become the important reference and content of the drug rehabilitation and recovery legislation such as the Anti-Drug Law and the Regulations on Drug Rehabilitation. Therefore, we should not only deeply understand the drug rehabilitation and recovery policies, measures, and the in-depth content of relevant concepts specified in the Anti-Drug Law and the Regulations on Drug Rehabilitation, and should also carefully implement the laws and act innovatively based on the local actual situations.