Surviving in the Cracks: How People Who Use Drugs Navigate Police-Led Rehabilitation in China

Recent Chinese drug policy has shifted toward a more therapeutic approach to the drug problem, particularly emphasizing the rehabilitation and treatment of people who use drugs (PWUD). Despite extensive studies addressing the effects of these programs on PWUD, little attention has been given to their experiences or sense-making activities related to their involvement in recovery services. Drawing from ethnographic data collected in a large Chinese city, this study focuses on the adaptive practices of PWUD as they are channeled to rehabilitation by the police. The analysis reveals three interrelated adaptive strategies that PWUD have developed to navigate the maze of compliance requirements and complete the program: conflict avoidance, doing vulnerability, and taking root in the mainstream. The research also discusses implications for enhancing the rehabilitative effectiveness of Chinese drug policing.