TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5. 1989
A YEAR OF RELENTLESS ACTION AGAINST NARCOTICS
* *
THE YEAR 1988 WAS ANOTHER ONE OF RELENTLESS ACTION AGAINST NARCOTICS, AND ONE WHICH SAW SOME REMARKABLE SUCCESSES.
FOR THE FIFTH SUCCESSIVE YEAR. THE ENCOURAGING DOWNWARD TREND IN THE NUMBER OF PERSONS NEWLY REPORTED TO THE GOVERNMENT COMPUTERISED CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG ABUSE CONTINUED IN 1988. 2.139. OR 10.9 PER CENT FEWER THAN 1987.
EVEN MORE ENCOURAGING WAS THE DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEWLY-REPORTED DRUG ABUSERS AGED UNDER 21, FROM 717 IN 1987 TO 679 IN
1988.
THESE FIGURES ARE CONTAINED IN THE NARCOTICS REPORT FOR 1988 PUBLISHED BY THE NARCOTICS (ACAN).
JUST RELEASED HONG KONG ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST
CHOA, HOWEVER, NOTED IN
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ACAN, DR GERALD THE FOREWORD TO THE REPORT THAT THERE WERE SOME SIGNS OF AN INCREASE IN THE ABUSE OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES.
It
+
ALTHOUGH THE ABUSE OF MANDRAX HAS BEEN CURBED MORE OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE SEEM TO BE EXPERIMENTING WITH CANNABIS," HE SAID.
"BECAUSE OF OUR CONCERN WITH THE APPARENT TREND TOWARDS PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ABUSE, A LARGE SCALE SURVEY WAS MADE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.
"THE RESULT ARE FAIRLY RE-ASSURING AND CONFIRMED THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE AT SCHOOL WHO ABUSE SUCH DRUGS IS STILL VERY SMALL, HE ADDED,
THE SURVEY OF OVER 100,000 STUDENTS AT SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED IN JUNE 1988. SHOWED THAT 1.1 PER CENT OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND 2.8 PER CENT OF THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE STUDENTS HAD ABUSED PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES. MAINLY MANDRAX, CANNABIS AND SECONAL.
"THIS CONCLUSION HAS BEEN BORNE OUT BY THE EXPERIENCE OF A NEW COUNSELLING CENTRE SET UP BY THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN SERVICE ΤΟ PROVIDE ADVICE AND HELP FOR USERS OF SUCH DRUGS," DR CHOA SAID.
PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY ACTIVITIES DISSEMINATING THE ANTI-NARCOTICS MESSAGE IN 1988 WERE NUMEROUS AS HIGH PRIORITY WAS ACCORDED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
"ACTION TO WARN THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF THE DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AT A HIGH LEVEL," HE SAID.
SUPPORTED BY
IN ADDITION TO REGULAR TALKS TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG. DISTRICT CAMPAIGNS WERE HELD AND WERE WELL COMMUNITY LEADERS, DISTRICT BOARDS AND DISTRICT OFFICES.
THE HIGHLIGHT