Eighteen county officials in Hunan province have been disciplined in a highly unusual instance of public servants and members of the Communist Party of China being openly punished over using illicit drugs.

Some 39 functionaries have been caught using drugs since a local regulation on drug use among Party members and public servants was rolled out in January. Twenty-one are still under investigation.

Making it clear that the use of drugs will not be tolerated, the province's Hengyang county adopted a regulation decreeing that functionaries caught using illicit substances would face severe penalties, including being sacked.

"Any of the Party members and public servants whom police determine to be a drug user will be disciplined and those who inject drugs or use more than two types will be sacked," said the regulation.

According to a report in the Legal Evening News, among the 18 punished were the head of an administration office of the local tax bureau and the director of the legal affairs service office.