When police officer Ma Xiao started his own microblog a year and a half ago, he never imagined that the blog would one day attain a level of influence not unlike that of some pop stars.

Ma's "Anti-drug Online" microblog, published on major Internet portal Tencent, had acquired more than 3.5 million followers as of June 26, also known as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Ma's blog is the second most popular among China's 50,000-plus government microblogs, second only to the Beijing Public Security Bureau's microblog.

"I just opened the microblog to try my luck at the beginning. I didn't expect that the number of followers would reach 320,000 a month later," said the 44-year-old Ma.

Before being confined to a wheelchair in 2002 due to an automobile accident, Ma worked to combat illegal drug use and trafficking for 15 years in the city of Baise in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, an area that borders the notorious Golden Triangle, a major opium-producing area.

Ma has regularly shared anti-drug news and knowledge on his microblog since October 2010. He spends more than 10 hours online every day, writing hundreds of posts and connecting with his followers, some of whom are drug abusers and their families.

Last June, a 16-year-old boy named "Rixin" sought help from Ma through his microblog. The boy suspected that his father was abusing drugs based on the "suspicious behaviors" described in some of Ma's previous posts.

"The boy discovered that the father would keep his whereabouts secret and often hid in the bedroom and bathroom right after getting back from work," Ma said.

The boy confirmed his father's drug abuse with the help of Ma, who discussed the issue with the father himself later online.

"I told him that he had a nice, smart son and that he would definitely ruin the family if he continued to abuse drugs. He wept and promised to quit the habit," Ma said, adding that the man's efforts to quit succeeded over the next six months.

To interact with his followers more effectively, Ma currently operates seven anti-drug microblog accounts on Tencent. He also manages 17 groups on QQ, a popular Chinese instant messaging service, connecting with more than 1,500 QQ users.

"We joined in because we were touched by Ma's generous spirit," said Wang Tiecheng, a QQ user who has volunteered to help Ma spread his anti-drug message.

Ma said some of those who have volunteered to help him are former drug addicts who have successfully kicked the habit and felt an urge to help others.

Ma and his volunteers are working to bring their online anti-drug campaign into reality. They plan to recruit more volunteers to provide psychological services to drug users in Guangxi through drug rehab centers or their own homes.

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