China: Bloggers take on drugs

From John Kennedy of Global Voices...

Judging from its wikipedia entry—or its United Nations page which hasn’t been updated in three years, one might think the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, June 26, belongs to China, the first member of the American War on Drugs, and a country which takes its drug problems seriously.

How did the Chinese blogsphere mark the occasion? Blogging kingpin Sina.com drug convicted substance abuser and aging rocker Xie Dong out to speak on his experiences, a bundle of videos were uploaded to Chinese video sharing websites like 56.com where ex-addicts shared their struggles and anti-drug petitions were passed around. Posters were made, bringing in the usual stoner comments (“I smoke drugs.” “I smoke cigarettes..hehe”), one Xinhua blogger took the time to show people what they’re up against, and upstanding car owners even gathered in a parking lot to spell out the Chinese words ‘ban drugs’.

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