14 -
Second Stop
Shanghai (4
5 November)
Ann.D
26.
On Wednesday, 4 November, we flew to Shanghai and
met Madam Chen Lan-yin, Deputy Chief of the Division of Drug
Policy and Medical Equipment, Shanghai Municipal Health
Bureau, and two of her colleagues. Chen later introduced us
to Dr. Yun Chung-chow and Dr. Lu Jieru of the Shanghai Chest
Hospital and various medical and pharmacological staff in both
Shanghai and from surrounding medical institutions.
They gave
us an extensive briefing on narcotics management in China and
the control of anaesthetic and pain-killing drugs; partly
because of their concern with the mis-use of such drugs by
ex-patients who had grown dependent on them (e.g. pethidine)
and partly because of their fear of smuggling from hospital
sources. Again, Chen Lan-yin went over the history of the
Chinese Government's fight against drug addiction post-1949.
It was interesting to note that Shanghai is designated as one
of the "no-opium-growing" areas in China. Chen admitted that
since the prohibition on the manufacture of methaqualone
(mandrax) was introduced in 1986, a considerable amount of
municipal
"left-over" mandrax was still being used by
hospitals and that diversion of the drug into the illicit
market was possible.
27.
They conceded
conceded that currently they have about a
dozen addicts;
mainly on pethidine but with a handful on
methaqualone of which a few serious cases are being treated in