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THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1987
MR MORTIMER ATTRIBUTED THE CONTINUING DOWNWARD TREND SINCE 1984 TO THE TERRITORY'S FOUR-PRONGED ANTI-DRUG STRATEGY WHICH INCLUDED LAW ENFORCEMENT, TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION, PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY, AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION.
THE MEETING WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONS PROSECUTED FOR MAJOR AND MINOR DRUG OFFENCES RECORDED AN INCREASE OF 0.5 PER CENT, FROM 12 434 IN 1985 TO 12 494 IN 1986.
THE PROSECUTION OF YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER 21 INDICATED A DECREASE OF 13.1 PER CENT FROM 1 191 IN 1985 TO 1 035 LAST YEAR.
THE POLICE AND CUSTOMS CARRIED OUT INTENSIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION UNCEASINGLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THE MEETING NOTED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE INCREASE IN THE SEIZURES OF ILLICIT OPIATES, MAINLY NO. 3 HEROIN AND HEROIN BASE, TOTALLING 643 KILOGRAMS. A TOTAL OF 93 KILOGRAMS OF CANNABIS AND CANNABIS RESIN WERE ALSO SEIZED.
MR MORTIMER SAID THAT THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PERSONS REPORTED TO THE CRDA FOR ABUSING MANDRAX HAD AROUSED CONCERN.
LAST YEAR, A TOTAL OF 260 PERSONS WERE REPORTED TO THE CRDA FOR ABUSING MANDRAX COMPARED WITH 72 IN 1985. ANOTHER 241 PERSONS WERE PROSECUTED BY THE POLICE FOR COMMITTING MANDRAX OFFENCES COMPARED WITH 60 IN 1985.
+THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN BOTH THE SEIZURE OF MANDRAX TABLETS AND POWDER DURING THE YEAR, HE SAID.
DURING THE PERIOD, 34 KILOGRAMS OF METHAQUALONE POWDER AND 273 745 MANDRAX TABLETS WERE SEIZED. HEAVY SENTENCES WERE BEING IMPOSED FOR OFFENCES INVOLVING MANDRAX.
+ THE AMOUNT OF CANNABIS AND CANNABIS RESIN SEIZED LAST YEAR DECREASED FROM 161 KILOGRAMS IN 1985 TO 93 KILOGRAMS, + MR MORTIMER ADDED.
ON PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY PROGRAMMES, HE NOTED THAT THE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN DURING THE COMING YEAR WOULD BE CONTINUED ON AN UNDIMINISHED SCALE THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEDIA, NEWSPAPERS AND POSTERS, AND IN COMMUNITY-BASED COMPAIGNS IN VARIOUS DISTRICTS OF HONG KONG AND IN THE SCHOOLS.
+TO COMBAT THE INCREASING ABUSE OF MANDRAX AND CANNABIS, EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON INTENSIFIED PUBLICITY ON EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE, ON THE DANGERS OF MANDRAX ABUSE, HE SAID.
/+HOWEVER,
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