2,973 CENT.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1994
THE NUMBER OF NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS OF ALL AGES ROSE FROM IN 1992 TO 4,158 IN 1993, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 39.9 PER
FOR PERSONS AGED UNDER 21 NEWLY REPORTED TO THE REGISTRY, THERE WAS AN INCREASE FROM 1,437 IN 1992 TO 2,170 IN 1993, A RISE OF 51 PER CENT. THE INCREASE WAS SLOWER IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR, AT 32.9 PER CENT, COMPARED TO 77.4 PER CENT IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.
THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PERSONS AMONG THE NEWLY REPORTED CASES INCREASED FROM 38.3 PER CENT IN 1991 TO 48.3 PER CENT IN 1992 AND 52.2 PER CENT IN 1993.
THE AVERAGE AGE OF NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS DECREASED FROM 24.3 IN 1992 TO 23.7 IN 1993. ON AVERAGE THEY HAD ABUSED DRUGS FOR 2.7 YEARS BEFORE BEING REPORTED.
REGARDING THE TYPES OF DRUGS ABUSED, THE REGISTRY STATISTICS REVEAL THAT AMONG THE YOUNGSTERS NEWLY REPORTED IN 1993, 74.6 PER CENT HAD ABUSED HEROIN, 19.5 PER CENT CANNABIS AND 11.9 PER CENT COUGH MEDICINE.
ON TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION, THE THREE MAJOR PROGRAMMES, RUN BY THE SOCIETY FOR THE AID AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG ABUSERS (SARDA), THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, ADMITTED LARGER NUMBERS OF DRUG ABUSERS.
OF THE 14,126 PERSONS ADMITTED TO THE THREE PROGRAMMES IN 1993, 3,140 (OR 22.2 PER CENT) WERE FIRST-TIME ADMISSIONS. THE INCREASES IN TOTAL ADMISSIONS AND IN NEW ADMISSIONS WERE 15.3 PER CENT AND 31.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
THE INCREASE IN NEW ADMISSIONS WAS HIGHEST IN THE UNDER-21 GROUP, BY 134.1 PER CENT IN THE DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRES AND BY 107.1 PER CENT IN THE SARDA PROGRAMME. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASE FOR THE METHADONE TREATMENT PROGRAMME WAS 34 PER CENT.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NARCOTICS DIVISION SAID WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATIVE CONTROL ON THE SALE OF COUGH MEDICINE CONTAINING MORE THAN 0.1 PER CENT OF CODEINE OR DEXTROMETHORPHAN UNDER THE PHARMACY AND POISONS REGULATIONS ON JANUARY 1. LAST YEAR, THE PERCENTAGE OF NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS UNDER 21 KNOWN TO HAVE ABUSED COUGH MEDICINE HAD FALLEN MARKEDLY FROM 26.4 PER CENT (270 PERSONS) IN 1992 TO 11.9 PER CENT (193 PERSONS) IN 1993.
HE ADDED THAT YOUNGSTERS WERE A HIGH RISK GROUP AND THE MAIN TARGET OF PREVENTIVE DRUG EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY PROGRAMMES. SUBSTANTIAL EFFORTS WERE DEVOTED TO ALERTING THEM TO THE DANGERS OF ABUSING DRUGS AND OTHER ADDICTIVE AND HARMFUL SUBSTANCES.
LAST YEAR, 242 DRUG EDUCATION TALKS WERE GIVEN TO 82,600 SECONDARY LEVEL AND PRIMARY 6 STUDENTS.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE RESPONSE FROM PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS STUDENTS WAS GOOD AND ENCOURAGING.
AND
HE SAID AS A RESULT OF THE AUTOMATION OF THE DRUG ABUSE TELEPHONE ENQUIRY SERVICE HOTLINE (366 8822) IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, 364,438 CALLS WERE RECEIVED FOR THE YEAR, AN AVERAGE OF NEARLY 1,000 A DAY.
THIS COMPARED ΤΟ 2,731 CALLS RECEIVED IN 1992 BEFORE THE
AUTOMATION.
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