China is a producer of precursor chemicals. The plant Ephedraplant that grows wild in north China can be turned into the precursor chemical ephedrine. The Peoples Republic also exports Potassium Permanganate. It can be legally exported, but is usually exported in bulk by kingpins to cocaine producing countries. Potassium Permanganate is a necessary ingredient in the production of cocaine. In 1998 300 tons of precursor chemicals were seized in China. The production of Methamphetamine is becoming a major problem. We produces limited amounts of opium for domestic consumption. The Peoples Republic monitors all 28-precursor chemicals listed in the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

In 1998 there were 540,000 people addicted to drugs in China. The most common addictions were to heroin, opium, stimulates, and depressants. The majority of the problem is with our younger population. 80 percent of the addict

Illicit drug use was virtually eliminated in the Peoples Republic after a massive campaign launched by the central government in the early 1950s. In the early 1980s when the Peoples Republic ended its isolationism and opened up to the outside world drug trafficking and addiction revived. The death penalty can be handed down to criminals trafficking 10 grams of heroin and 15 years in jail for those caught with 50 grams of opium. The Chinese government has established a Counter Narcotics Bureau in the Ministry of Public Security to aid in anti-drug efforts. In February 1998 the government started a major drug education program aimed at preventing drug use.

The main key to prevent demand is education. Education has worked for China on the Yunnan province where children in the junior secondary level (age 11-13) conduct educational talks about drugs and do activities. To reinforce the education they bombard the media with public service announcements, documentary dramas featuring real cases of drug addicts for broadcasting during prime time on local television.

The second front is the supply of the drugs to the consumers. The main solution is crop substitution. The basis of crop substitution is that the government provides the tools, the seeds, and some fertilizer. Then the government has to provide a market place that they can sell their goods. The main reason this will work that the producers will now be making money off of legitimate cash crops instead of narcotics.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Peoples Republic, China Yunnan, Potassium Permanganate, Control Program, Drug Convention, Burma Laos, Public Security, Hong Kong, peoples republic, Saudi Arabia, , distinguished country, drug trafficking, market sell, cash crops, seeds fertilizer, crop substitution, precursor chemicals, potassium permanganate, burma laos,
Approximate Word count = 998
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)