11
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1984
AS AT SEPTEMBER 30, 14 598 PERSONS WERE RECEIVING TREATMENT OR AFTERCARE, UP 16 PER CENT OVER THE YEAR-EARLIER FIGURE OF 12 611.
ACAN ATTRIBUTED THESE TRENDS TO THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY.
BUT IT ADDED THAT THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUG ABUSE WOULD CONTINUE UNABATED.
COMMUNITY SOCIAL WORKERS HAD BEEN ENLISTED FOR HELP AND TALKS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS WERE BEING GIVEN BY NARCOTICS DIVISION TEAMS.
THE ACAN YOUTH VOLUNTEER GROUP WAS OPERATING FROM ITS NEW PREMISES IN VICTORIA BARRACKS AND SUPPORTING NUMBEROUS ANTI-NARCOTICS ACTIVITIES.
FROM MID-FEBRUARY TO MID-NOVEMBER 1984, OVER 48 000 STUDENTS ATTENDED 122 TALKS GIVEN IN 96 SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE MORE DENSEL? POPULATED URBAN AREAS.
ALSO. AÇAN HAD JOINED HANDS WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO LAUNCH THE STUDENTS AGAINST DRUGS MOVEMENT AS ITS MAJOR PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY EVENT FOR 1984-85.
TODAY'S ACAN MEETING WAS THE LAST UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF DR SIR ALBERT RODRIGUES WHO WILL RETIRE FROM ACAN AT THE END OF THE YEAR. HE WILL BE SUCCEEDED BY PROFESSOR G.H. CHOA, DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.
SIR ALBERT HAS LED HONG KONG'S FIGHT AGAINST NARCOTICS SINCE ACAN WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1965.
THE COMMITTEE WAS RECONSTITUTED IN 1974 TO BECOME THE SOLE ADVISORY BODY OF THE GOVERNMENT ON ALL POLICY MATTERS RELATING TO THE ERADICATION OF DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ABUSE IN HONG KONG.
TATTOOS COULD BE A STIGMA FOR LIFE
*****
TATTOOS ARE NOT ONLY PRICKED MARKS ON ONE'S SKIN BUT MAY ALSO
BE A STIGMA FOR LIFE.
A SURVEY OF SOME 400 RESIDENTS IN THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT'S BOYS' AND GIRLS' HOMES LAST YEAR SHOWED THAT ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF THEM WERE TATTOOED.
THE DESIGNS CAN BE NAMES OF THEIR FRIENDS, EMBLEMS OF GANGS, PATTERNS OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS AND RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS.
/+MANY YOUNG