Public Response to “Sunshine Project”

Chen Xufu (Deputy Director of National Narcotics Control Commission and Deputy Director of Narcotics Control Bureau of Ministry of Public Security):

Taking the communities as basis and relying on enterprises, a job placement base for rehabilitated drug users has been built as a breakthrough in Guizhou to accelerate the development of the “Sunshine Project”. The project has solved a series of problems on drug addicts, including the difficulties in controlling, consolidating, and social inclusion. It has been proved that it is a more practical and suitable project to meet rehabilitated drug users’ needs for life and work, to reduce the burden on their families and the society, to implement treatment and rehabilitation measures, and to control the runaway rate of drug users under treatment.

Yu An (Professor of School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University):

The “Sunshine Project” in Guizhou Province is not exactly an issue on employment, but, legally speaking, an issue concerning the rights and obligations of rehabilitated drug users. The “Sunshine Project” is more active than merely controlling measures, as it is not entirely the drug addicts’ spontaneous act to achieve rehabilitation. It is not only an issue on social rights, but on development rights. The features of the “Sunshine Project” is to advocate the government to give encouragement, promotion, guidance and help to drug addicts, so that both their social rights and development rights can be attained, hence, the anti-drug measures are no longer isolated individual behaviors. For individuals of relatively poor employment capacity, they can be classified as the vulnerable. They need help from the society and the government to enhance their employability.

There is another issue on inclusive development. In a sense, drug addicts are a certain group of socially excluded people. How to make rehabilitated drug users accepted by society has become a core issue of inclusive development. Only by minimizing their possibilities of being excluded, can we achieve inclusive development, and moreover, equitable development and common development. Therefore, the “Sunshine Project” in Guizhou Province may help the rehabilitated drug users thoroughly quit the addiction, and meanwhile, enhance their employability, change their social status as vulnerable groups, and finally, achieve equal development with other members of society.