HEALTH
number of tests on air, water, soil and waste samples conducted reached a record level. For this reason, the laboratory invested substantially in laboratory automation facilities to achieve cost efficiency.
Apart from the identification and classification of dangerous goods, the laboratory con- tinued to maintain a round-the-clock emergency service for incidents concerning chemical spills and toxic atmosphere.
The provision of analytical services for the assessment of revenue on dutiable com- modities such as wines and spirits, non-alcoholic beverages and tobacco products is one of the functions of the laboratory, and the determination of tar and nicotine contents in cigarettes in the local market continued to be an important area of its work.
Drug Abuse and Trafficking
The government's policy is to stop the illicit trafficking of drugs into and through Hong Kong, to develop a comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation programme for drug addicts and to dissuade people, particularly young people, from experimenting with drugs, so as to eradicate drug abuse from the community.
The exact number of addicts is not known. However, the government's computerised Central Registry of Drug Abuse and other linked indicators suggest that at the end of 1990 there were about 39 000 ‘active' addicts, which was 0.8 per cent of the population aged 11 and above.
Data collected by the registry, based on 441 000 reports on 65 000 persons, indicate that 90 per cent of drug abusers are male and 10 per cent female, 69 per cent of the 'active' addicts were over 30 years old at the end of 1990, 25 per cent were in the 21 to 30 bracket and six per cent were aged under 21. The most common drug of abuse is heroin, which was used by 94 per cent of the persons reported to the registry in 1990. However, more young people have been abusing cannabis and other psychotropic substances in recent years.
A large-scale survey covering some 110 000 students was conducted in October and November 1990 to assess the extent of abuse of psychotropic substances by students of secondary schools and technical institutes. The survey results are being processed and analysed, and the findings will be available in mid-1991.
Overall Strategy and Co-ordination
The government has a comprehensive anti-drug programme which has achieved consider- able success. The programme adopts a four-pronged approach, namely law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, preventive education and publicity, and international co- operation. Effective law enforcement induces addicts to seek treatment voluntarily as a result of short supply of drugs. Treatment and rehabilitation are undertaken by govern- ment and a number of voluntary agencies which offer a wide range of facilities to meet the different needs of drug abusers. The effectiveness of these treatment programmes reduces the demand for illicit drugs. At the same time, the government places great emphasis on preventive education and publicity to heighten public awareness of the drug problem and to promote the advantages of a drug-free lifestyle. Co-operation at the international level, through exchange of information and experience, enhances the effectiveness of efforts in these three areas.
These efforts are co-ordinated by the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN), a non-statutory body which includes both non-official and government members. The
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