BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- As he sets down the phone in his station in downtown Beijing, Zhang Ben's furrowed brow eases slightly, the police officer having just talked to a man he has supported through the arduous process of recovering from drug addiction.
Under Zhang's supervision, the man in his early 30s, surnamed Zhou, has completed his full three-year community rehabilitation period. After completing a term in compulsory isolation drug rehabilitation, Zhou had entered community-based follow-up supervision under police officers at a local drug rehabilitation guidance station near his home.
He was one of 15 recovering drug users under Zhang's long-term monitoring in one of the Dandelion Drug Rehabilitation Guidance Stations, which works with local neighborhood offices, overseeing both community-based rehabilitation and follow-up recovery.
The stations, under the Tiankang Drug Rehabilitation and Recovery Center, now cover urban districts and suburban areas in Beijing, reflecting a broader effort to strengthen grassroots drug rehabilitation services across the country.
Zhou has developed a close bond with Zhang. Before being supervised by Zhang, he had been placed in a compulsory drug rehabilitation center in Beijing after prolonged use of marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids and other drugs.
"When he first came out, things at home were pretty tense," Zhang said. "He wasn't in a good place emotionally. I had to keep checking in on him quite often, just to make sure he was okay and not slipping back."
Family strain and external pressure, Zhang noted, are among the most common triggers for relapse among recovering drug users.
China's drug treatment system operates through a tiered structure that includes voluntary rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation, compulsory isolation rehabilitation, and post-release community recovery. It is designed to provide continuous intervention across different stages of addiction and recovery.
Under China's Anti-Drug Law, controlled substances include opium, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, as well as other narcotic and psychotropic drugs placed under state regulation.
Under the law, first-time drug users with relatively mild addiction may be placed under community-based rehabilitation. Those who repeatedly use drugs or refuse supervision face compulsory isolation rehabilitation.
But the real test begins only after drug users leave compulsory rehabilitation centers and return to society.
Tiankang Drug Rehabilitation and Recovery Center signs a drug rehabilitation supervision agreement with them. Even after completing compulsory treatment, former drug users are required to undergo at least three years of community-based follow-up support.
Stationed police officers and social workers conduct regular phone calls and home visits, monitor their living conditions, provide counseling, and assist with employment.
The aim is to reduce relapse risk by extending supervision and support into daily life.
Zhou said his drug use began at age 17, when someone handed him a marijuana cigarette while he was skateboarding in a public square.
"After that, I just kept relying on it more and more," he said. "It felt like the easiest way to get away from everything."
A turning point came during his compulsory rehabilitation period, when he missed the death of his beloved family members.
"That really made me stop and think," he said. "I knew I had to quit for good."
Zhou now hopes to use his experience to warn others. "If I go talk to students with Officer Zhang, I'm always available," he said. "I just don't want kids to go down that road."
Beyond case management, the guidance stations also play a role in public education. The "dandelion" metaphor is often used by officers: once mature, its seeds disperse in the wind and take root widely.
Officials say they hope drug prevention knowledge and rehabilitation support can spread in a similar way across communities, schools, workplaces and families.
During International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Friday, rehabilitation centers across China open to the public, while police officers carry out outreach campaigns in shopping districts, public squares and transport hubs to promote anti-drug awareness.
Since 1949, the Chinese government has worked tirelessly to control drugs. Cultivating and using marijuana, for example, is strictly forbidden, with traffickers facing the death penalty in extreme cases.
In 2025, China investigated 27,000 drug-related criminal cases, arrested 41,000 suspects, and seized 33.5 tonnes of drugs, according to official data.
For China, drugs are not only a public health issue but also a historical memory tied to national trauma, with the opium trade once used to advance Britain's economic and political interests in the country, creating human misery and social disruption.
Roughly 190 years ago, Qing Dynasty official Lin Zexu's destruction of about 1,400 tonnes of foreign-smuggled opium in south China is often regarded as a milestone chapter of China's battle against the drug.
Amid this long-running effort, officials say grassroots networks such as the Dandelion stations have helped more people sustain recovery. Official numbers show that in 2025, China reported 4.403 million people who had remained drug-free after rehabilitation for more than three years, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier.
China's voluntary rehabilitation system has also been formalized since the implementation of the Anti-Drug Law in 2008 and the Regulations on Drug Rehabilitation in 2011, which encourage voluntary treatment and protect personal privacy.
The Tiankang Drug Rehabilitation and Recovery Center in suburban Beijing is one such publicly-funded facility for voluntary drug treatment, operated by judicial administrative authorities.
The center serves individuals aged 16 to 60, including voluntary addicts and those referred from community supervision programs. Family members are encouraged to participate in the rehabilitation process, according to Wang Wenyu, head of its management division.
Wang said a typical program lasts about three months. Treatment plans are tailored to each individual, combining psychological counseling, physical training and other interventions.
"After two to three months of rehabilitation, the physical dependence on drugs gradually subsides," said Zhao Haiqing, a senior psychologist at the center. "What really sticks is what's in their head."
"It's never just about the drug itself," Zhang told Xinhua. "There's usually something deeper they're trying to run away from."
Zhao and his team work to identify underlying trauma, including childhood experiences and stressful life events. They use cognitive behavioral therapy, traditional Chinese medicine approaches, and mindfulness-based techniques to help patients regulate emotions and rebuild psychological stability.
"When people come here on their own, we see them first as victims of drugs," Wang said. "If they can get back to a normal life, that's the part that really matters to us."
With this multi-layered system of support, Zhou has begun a new life. He is now involved in breeding and selling exotic pets within regulated channels, including snakes and lizards.
"I like these animals," he said. "And I think there's real demand for it. At least now I can support my family in a steady way." ■
