Opiate addiction in China: current situation and treatments

Abstract

China faces substantial drug abuse problems that appear to be worsening with time. Opiate dependence is a major threat to the public health and social security of China because of its devastating medical effects, its impact on risk for HIV/AIDS and criminal behaviors, low rates of recovery and high rates of relapse. There is an urgent need to implement MMT and other modern treatments for opiate dependence more widely in China.

Transition of China's drug policy: problems in practice

“…Although these practices ended one of the most severe drug use epidemics in Chinese and world history, it set the tone for establishing a philosophy towards substance-using populations [1]. With economic reforms, drug abuse problems again became rampant in China in the early 1980s, and the Chinese government continued punishment measures towards drug users.…”

A Randomized Blinded Trial of Nucleus Accumbens Ablation to Treat Opiate Dependence in Humans: Location Correlates with Outcome

“…Among the most successful is the use of methadone for detoxification or maintenance therapy; even within these programs, greater than 50% continue to use heroin [1][2][3]. Chinese centers employing compulsory detoxification, mandatory labor, education, skills training, and lasting for as long as three years, report a one year abstinence rate of 44%, and a three year abstinence rate of only 15% [4]. However, the addition of pharmacologic interventions may significantly improve these rates.…”

Harm reduction for injecting opiate users: an update and implications in China

“…Hindering effective HIV awareness is the widespread opinion in China that individuals who are infected with HIV come from lower classes or are involved in criminal activity [42] . This stigma can result in major barriers to voluntary testing [36] .…”

“…Because regular abstinence-oriented treatments such as compulsory rehabilitation centers or reeducation-through-labor camps have very high relapse rates and appear to be ineffective in keeping patients drug-free [37] , harm reduction may be an inevitable approach in the fight against HIV and other harm associated with injected drug use. Long-term methadone therapy began in 2002 for research purposes in high-prevalence provinces and large cities such as Beijing; the first eight methadone maintenance clinics were established in early 2004 [36] . Methadone maintenance in China was implemented mainly to control and prevent the transmission of HIV.…”

“…Methadone maintenance treatment in China Methadone has been used for short-term detoxification in China since 1993 [36] . Because regular abstinence-oriented treatments such as compulsory rehabilitation centers or reeducation-through-labor camps have very high relapse rates and appear to be ineffective in keeping patients drug-free [37] , harm reduction may be an inevitable approach in the fight against HIV and other harm associated with injected drug use.…”