There is an existing population that is addicted to opioids, and from what (admittedly little) research I've done into the topic, it seems like some of the most successful ways of getting people off of their addictions is providing a space where they can get easy access to free, safe drugs that also has optional treatment centers for those who want to get clean. If they feel forced, they just won't go at all.

Advocating for tighter control on illegal drugs will, in the US at least, just result in more money going to cops so they can brutalize minorities. I don't think banning recreational drug use would be remotely viable until the very highest stages of communism. For your China example, they have banned many "hard" drugs due to the obvious suffering they caused due to the will of the colonial powers, but they still allow other recreational drugs like alcohol and cigarettes.