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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1990
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"ALSO CAUSING CONCERN TO THE COMMITTEE WAS THE RISE IN THE NUMBER OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ABUSERS, DR CHOA SAID.
"
"THE LARGEST INCREASE WAS IN THE ABUSE OF CANNABIS OTHERS TOOK MANDRAX AND TYPES OF BENZODIAZEPINES SUCH AS HE SAID.
WHILE THE ROHYPNOL,
N
TO THE
THE NUMBER OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ABUSERS REPORTED REGISTRY INCREASED FROM 376 IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1988 ΤΟ 831 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1989. THE LARGEST INCREASE WAS IN THE ABUSE OF CANNABIS, RISING FROM 111 TO 383.
IN VIEW OF THIS, ACAN'S WORKING PARTY ON PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES WAS RECONVENED IN EARLY 1989 то MONITOR THIS TREND AND EXAMINE EXISTING CONTROLS.
ON, THE
"BASED ON THE WORKING PARTY'S RECOMMENDATIONS, WE SEE A NEED TO INCREASE OUR EFFORTS TO PUBLICISE, AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ABUSING SUCH DRUGS, DR CHOA SAID.
OTHER
THE CHAIRMAN REMINDED DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS OF THE POTENTIAL OF CERTAIN DRUGS SUCH AS ROHYPNOL, HALCION AND OF BENZODIAZEPINES.
ABUSE
TYPES
DR CHOA POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE STRINGENT CONTROLS OVER THE SALE OF PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS, WHICH COULD ONLY BE SUPPLIED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF PRESCRIPTION GIVEN BY MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS.
"IF THESE CONTROLS ARE TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING ABUSES, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PHARMACISTS AND DOCTORS EXERCISE GREAT CARE WHEN SUBSCRIBING AND PRESCRIBING SUCH DRUGS, HE SAID.
ADDED.
"
"ACAN WILL CONTINUE 'TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY, HE
DR CHOA SAID THAT HEROIN ADDICTION WAS STILL THE MAIN DRUG PROBLEM. MORE THAN 90 PER CENT OF THE ADDICTS RECORDED IN THE REGISTRY TOOK HEROIN.
DESPITE RELENTLESS EFFORTS BY THE POLICE AND THE CUSTOMS, CONTINUED AVAILABILITY OF HEROIN AT LOW PRICES, COUPLED WITH HIGH OPPORTUNITIES, HAD PROBABLY LED TO THE DECREASE IN THE UTILISATION TREATMENT FACILITIES.
THE
JOB
OF
"THIS MAY BE A DISINCENTIVE FOR ADDICTS TO SEEK TREATMENT, CHOA SAID.
DR
VIEW,' HE WARNED,
"THIS IS, HOWEVER, A VERY SHORT-SIGHTED URGING ADDICTS TO COME FORWARD FOR TREATMENT.
TURNING TO THE ANTI-DRUG PUBLICITY STRATEGY FOR THE COMING YEAR, DR CHOA NOTED THAT THE COMMITTEE HAD ADOPTED A "SAY 'YES' TO LIFE AND 'NO' TO ALL DRUGS" APPROACH AS ONE OF THE MAJOR THEMES.
/THERE WERE