Many thanks to the person who shared that you can ask your local Chinese embassy for a copy of „The Governance Of China“.
I reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vienna and got not only a super friendly response, but also an invite to the embassy + 6 copies of the German translation (2x II, III, IV)!
Yeah I just had this convo on RedNote. It took fucking decades here in the US to overcome "Reefer Madness". Hopefully it won't take China that long.
China doesn't care about reefer madness, they care about not giving foreign imperialists an avenue to destroy social cohesion by funding organized crime and getting people addicted. Obviously weed isn't that big of a deal vs harder stuff but they are not in a position to take that risk. The century of humiliation and the opium wars were not that long ago, I think it'll be a while before the prevailing view changes.
I think it is analogous to reefer madness. It isn't based on biological or social science. It isn't even based on history, since opium isn't cannabis. Why should domestic production of cannabis be a vector of foreign imperialism? Cannabis is not a western invention. Does alcohol not pose the same and more risk to Chinese society? How do they cope with that?
I have to disagree here, I think for it to be analogous, there would need to be a specific focus on marijuana. China has a blanket disdain for drugs excepting alcohol and tobacco, and that's only because those were already deeply entrenched in society and it would have been counterproductive to restrict or ban them, though there are now restrictions on excessive drinking and smoking in shared spaces to curb the worst excesses.
I think perspective matters a lot here, because to Chinese people, it isn't just about weed being no more harmful than tobacco or something; this is something ingrained in the national consciousness, of drugs being foisted upon a people who didn't want it, and having irreparable damage done as a result. Lumping weed in the same vein as opium or meth might seem like an extreme overreaction to you, but it represents a "we're not taking any chances with this" mentality that derives from prior experience of having your society torn apart by them, perfectly rational in their experience.
This is one of those things where its not CPC boomers being out of touch and overreaching, this is something that the vast majority of people in China hold an opinion on and have presented the CPC with a mandate to do something about it.
That said, I do think at least laws on weed will be relaxed further as China becomes more secure in its position in the world, especially since there's precedent for its use in ancient China and its still regarded as having medicinal properties in TCM, its just judged that the risks are not worth it at this time, give it 20 years or something.
I appreciate you typing that out and I agree that it will take time and more "cross pollination" for attitudes to change in China. I am dubious though of the argument that China's attitudes (towards cannabis and drugs) are unique to it's own history. I think they are basically on track with much of the rest of the world over a contemporary period of time. As you say, even China has a historical relationship with cannabis as medicine. China is also certainly not the only nation with negative attitudes towards cannabis currently. It is only recently that the US and some European countries have been relaxing about it. I have met many people who lump cannabis in with heroin and crack as simply "drugs". It's just been due to propaganda and ignorance.
Why do you care what China does? The Chinese people do not want drugs in their country. The word for drugs in chinese is poison. This is not some directive from the government that people do not agree with. The majority of Chinese people don't want drugs to be allowed, and China is a democracy. The people decided so respect their choice please. If you want drugs in your own country you can decide that too. Let China make its own choices.
Chill out please. Am I not allowed to have opinions about China? Not even mild criticism? I understand that the policy is popular. It is similarly popular in Sweden. In both country's case, I believe it is based on ignorance. Do Chinese people not think of alcohol as a drug?
They aren't super fond of alcohol either as far as i've seen. Have any opinion you want, but why presume you can make a better choice for China than the Chinese themselves made? I personally do not do drugs, and that includes alcohol, at all. For me a policy like China's is better. For you a different policy is better. This is because different people in different places need different policies. So what i am saying is it is best to only try to advocate for changes in your own home, and not to try to decide what is best everywhere else.
The Chinese? It's a different drinking culture to the west but they definitely enjoy alcohol. Have a Chinese dinner and watch them slam beers and baijiu.
Maybe just the ones i talked to then. They seemed to really like that i didnt drink.
Look, like most people I have a lot of opinions, and very little power to make meaningful change in my own country, let alone in another. I don't smoke weed either, though I have in the past, and I know a lot of people who do. In my opinion (couldn't force it on China if I tried!), Chinese policy could improve in this area. I just can't see a rational reason why cannabis should be prohibited, but not alcohol or tobacco. That's it. That's all I'm saying. I've been to China, and I look forward to visiting again. Someone did try to sell me hashish in Shanghai. I declined.
Why is it perfectly legal in the US to slaughter a pig or cow for meat, but a dog or a cat is illegal to do the same? That is not rational either. They are both animals. It's a matter of public opinion. Thats the reason. The same goes for which substances are legal or illegal.
That's a pretty good analogy, I will give you that. As a vegan myself though, I'll just answer that there is a difference between killing animals and smoking cannabis. People (irrationally) think it's cruel to kill pet animals because they have learned to identify them as beings deserving of life. I think people should extend this empathy to all animals. I know that they won't, but I advocate for it anyway.