Comment by hylaride

> hat the official line from the CCP was that China had no drug problems, no prostitution, a variety of other things

Reminds me of a book I read years ago about the Soviet Union. Officially prostitution didn't exist there either, so there were no laws on the books about it. Enforcement usually was around various "antisocial" laws and usually for the street-walkers. Crime in general was mostly fine, so long as it wasn't a threat to the state, against well-connected people, or otherwise visible.

No wonder Russia got so bad after the strong state dissipated.