Non-compliance or What? An Empirical Inquiry into the Regulatory Pyramid of Chinese Drug Users

Rarely has any study examined the regulatory structure of drug treatment in China from the perspective of the regulated actors (i.e., illicit drug users). This study, based on interviews with 36 drug users placed in compulsory drug treatment centers, aims to understand their experiences with the whole treatment regime. Their views of the multiple tools and strategies adopted by regulators are explored. The findings are presented and discussed in relation to the “regulatory pyramid” developed in the Western context, which advocates maximal use of restorative justice and minimal sufficiency in imposing deterrence. They show that China’s current state-centered regulatory practice in drug treatment lacks both a restorative base and regulatory deterrence, rendering escalation in the pyramid inevitable. Implications for theory and practice are offered with regard to enhancing compliance in the current regulatory context of China.