MIXED MESSAGES ON NARCOTICS TREATMENT IN KUNMING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CHENGDU 001249 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM STATE ALSO FOR INL/THOMAS BROWNE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/7/2016 TAGS: SNAR PGOV PHUM CH SUBJECT: MIXED MESSAGES ON NARCOTICS TREATMENT IN KUNMING REF: CHENGDU 1083 CLASSIFIED BY: James Boughner, Acting Consul General, Chengdu, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Officials from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in Beijing recently visited Kunming's Daytop Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (Daytop) Director facilities to learn more about its treatment and counseling centers, in addition to methadone maintenance clinics and needle exchange programs funded by other donors. However, Daytop officials tell of routine arrests and harassment by local security officials of narcotics users attempting to visit their "drop-in" treatment and counseling centers. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) During a November 30-December 3 visit to Kunming by INL Training Coordinator Thomas Browne, Econoff met with officials from the Yunnan Institute for Drug Abuse (YIDA) and visited Daytop's main treatment facility and a "drop-in" center located in an area of Kunming notorious for drug use. The purpose of the visit was to observe Daytop's current operations, to discuss possibilities for expansion of the Daytop model to other areas in China, and to discuss with YIDA the possibility of using that agency's facilities for training of rehabilitation therapists. A previous visit to Daytop was reported reftel, and included a full explanation of Daytop's operations and treatment model. ¶3. (C) Daytop Director Yang Maobin told Econoff and Browne that, the day before their arrival, several officials from Beijing (whom Yang identified as coming from MPS) had visited Kunming. Yang said he had accompanied them to Daytop's residential treatment facility, and the visitors had taken many photographs of the facility, as well as talking to staff. ¶4. (C) However, during a visit to one "drop-in" counseling and treatment center located in an area of Kunming notorious for drug trafficking and use, Yang and center staff complained of arrests by local police of drug users just outside the center's exit. According to Yang, this has resulted in a significant drop in the number of drug users taking advantage of the center's services. During Econoff's visit, the only activity was a meeting of a Narcotics Anonymous chapter, consisting of addicts in recovery who have supposedly ceased using drugs. ¶5. (C) Comment: Daytop's treatment model may be getting welcome attention from China's central government, but local police intent on fulfilling arrest quotas still see users as easy targets, even when those users are seeking help. The short message is that, in drug treatment as in other areas of government activity, lack of coordination between central government policy and local government action can hinder implementation of what on paper could be effective policies. ¶6. (SBU) This cable has been cleared by INL Training Coordinator Thomas Browne. BOUGHNER