Anti-drugs guidelines to increase supervision

Movies, TV shows and advertisements in Beijing will be banned if they feature drug addicts as main characters, according to new anti-drug regulations passed by the capital's legislative body.

The regulation, aimed at preventing and punishing drug-related crimes and protecting people's physical and mental health to maintain social order, was adopted at the session of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress on July 30.

It will go into effect on Oct 1.

Relevant industry associations are tasked with strengthening self-discipline and establishing and completing industry management standards in conducting anti-drug publicity and education for member units and their employees. Violators will receive disciplinary action.

The regulation stipulates that government agencies involved in culture and tourism, radio, television and film, and market and cyberspace supervision should strengthen their work and clarify the responsibility of anti-drug work.

Operators and managers of entertainment venues, hotels, catering services, bathing centers and internet access providers should implement anti-drug prevention measures in accordance with the law and establish an inspection mechanism. As soon as drug-related criminal activities are detected, they should be reported immediately to public security organs, and all necessary measures should be taken to protect the crime scene.

Logistics delivery companies should conduct anti-drug training, and strictly implement delivery inspection, real-name registration and safety inspections.

When suspected drugs, drug-use tools, precursor chemicals, botanicals and their seeds, seedlings and other articles that are prohibited from being sent or delivered are discovered, delivery companies should immediately seize the suspicious parcel and report it to public security organs and supervising authorities.

Wang Aisheng, deputy director of the legislative affairs office of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said the regulation also stipulated the provision of employment support for former drug-takers and drug rehabilitation personnel and aims to protect the personal information of addicts.

Hu Haiyuan, chief of the Anti-Drug Task Force of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said it will formulate and issue a detailed plan for the implementation of the new regulation.

For those who fail to fulfill or implement anti-drug responsibilities or work requirements, a notice or regulatory talk will be arranged in a timely manner to urge rectification, Hu said.