Research On The Opium-banning During 1935-1949 In Mao County Of Sichuan Province

The spread of opiums in modern Chinese society seriously restricted the development of the country.Mao County is located in the northwest of Sichuan and became a well-known opium-producing area due to its unique natural environment,as well as the alluring and forcement by the tribe chiefs of Mao County,the local officials and squires,Reactionary Gang who were driven by the high profit.Poppies were blooming throughout the region and opium trafficking was prevalent.The opium brought about serious social problems,such as slow economic development and sick human bodies,which caused the governments at different times to ban it in a strict way.In particular,the anti-opium campaign launched by the Nanjing National Government is exemplary in the history of ban on opium-smoking in China's modern century.Mao County,located in the northwest of Sichuan,was naturally on the list of the large-scale anti-opium and anti-drug campaign.The smoking ban can be roughly divided into two periods,one is the "two-year anti-drug,six-year anti-opium" campaign(1935-1940),the National Government and the Sichuan provincial government promulgated a series of anti-smoking laws.And Mao County also carried out a large-scale anti-smoking campaign in all the processes concerned with opium plantation,transportation,marketing,smoking,storage,etc.At this stage,the anti-smoking departments at all levels set up one by one,relevant personnel and funds were planned and coordinated by the Government,and a well-organized anti-government system gradually formed.However,the smoking still existed and the violations of the ban are still many.The second stage is in the middle and late period of the ban(1940-1949),the Mao County government,on the basis of the early stage,continued to enforce the ban on smoking and coordinated the following four aspects to push the implementation of the ban: strict investigation of secret plantation,strict prohibition of trafficking,forcement of smoking quitting,publicity and education.Mao County took several years to implement the smoking ban and achieved the results both good and bad.The smoking ban in Mao County achieved remarkable results in promoting the recovery and development of production,combating smoking and trafficking,and changing local customs.Nevertheless,Mao County is a county controlled and administered by ethnic minorities,it was very difficult for government officials to implement the ban on opium-smoking.A unique anti-smoking characteristic was formed there due to a complicated relationship network formed by all classes driven by high profit and competition between them.In addition,governments at all levels showed innate deficiencies in their determination,policies and funding to ban the smoking,which seriously affects the actual effectiveness of the ban.Therefore,there is a long way to go to completely finish the smoking and trafficking.Finally,we conclude that the drug problem in Mao County is not only a political issue,but also a social issue related to ethnic minorities,and the complete removal of such "malignant tumor" needs a stable political situation;to solve the problem,social forces should be encouraged to take participate in it,or a government and a team with clean hands and high work efficiency should be established;It is necessary for the government to make great efforts to solve the problems concerning people's survival and economic development;and it is necessary to educate people to raise their awareness of the dangers of the smoking.