Illegal drug problem in Chinese rural areas – a case study of Linquan County in Anhui province in central China

Abstract

Linquan County is in northwestern Anhui province in central China. It borders nine counties and cities in Anhui Henan province. In 2016, Linquan County had a population of 2.37 million people [1]; it is considered to be the county with the highest population in China. Linquan is also known as one of eleven key remediation areas with drug problems in China. The growth rate of drug consumers was 33.2% from 1991-1995, and the proportion increased to 69.4% from 1996-1997. In the town of Miaocha, the population was 60,200 people, and the registered number of drug consumers in 2001 was 509, nearly 8.5%, with 389 drug dealers. From 1998-2001, 410 drug dealers from Linquan were arrested in Yunnan province, which is near the golden triangle area and 23 were sentenced to death. In 30 of 33 villages in Linquan county, some people grew poppies [2]. Linquan County has a long history of drug issues. Before 1949, there was not a unified government in China. China was separated by different warlords, at that time, China’s industry and commerce were underdeveloped. Taxes were limited and not enough to support the large warlords, most of whom openly or secretly supported the opium business; sometimes, they forced peasants to grow poppies. Wang has estimated that in 1906, Henan province grew 480,000 Mu (a unit of area=0.0667 hectare) of poppies [3]. At that time it was reported that in Linquan county, 80% of peasants and 20% cultivated land grew poppies [4]. During World War II, Japan