Written notice required for forced detoxification

A written notice must be given to relatives of drug addicts within five days of them being admitted to a mandatory detoxification center, according to a regulation released by the Ministry of Justice on Monday.

The 65-article rule designed to regulate the practice of compulsory detoxification, will take effect from June 1, said the ministry.

The rule provides that identity verifications and health examinations should be conducted once drug addicts are admitted to one of the center. Any injuries they are carrying need to be recorded after confirmation by the inmates and police who have transferred them.

Female addicts who are pregnant or feeding babies under one year old should not be subject to forced detoxification, under the regulation.

It calls for the set-up of mandatory detoxification centers designated for female and juvenile addicts. Health examination of female inmates should be performed by policewomen, said the ministry.

The rule also requires that inmates be paid for their manual labor in the camps. The working time should not exceed six hours a day and five days a week, with no work on legal holidays.

According to the rule, inmates' personal information should be well protected. In addition, camp personnel are banned from carrying out any drug trials on their inmates.

In the case of a drug addict dying during forced detoxification, the center should immediately report to higher authorities and the local people's procutatorate and inform the inmate's relatives. Medicolegal expertise needs to be provided if relatives are doubtful about the death, the rule said.

In the past five years, a total of 410,000 drug addicts have been forced into rehabilitation, and 155,000 are accepting forced detoxification at present.