Do you have any good sources for info about Mao's approach? Very interested to learn more about this. The wikipedia article seems to corroborate what you have said but provides no sources either :(
[0] https://www.scmp.com/article/547678/maos-drug-lesson-world
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_opium_in_China#Unde...
[2] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3906319/china-drug-dealer-mass...