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we have provided more resources and facilities to help the treatment and rehabilitation of those who have fallen prey to drug abuse; and
more research studies have been undertaken to give us a better understanding of drug abuse and the characteristics of drug abusers.
We have also established a $350-million Beat Drugs Fund. This provides a substantial additional source of funding for worthwhile anti-drug projects. I hope that the community can make the best use of the Fund to launch as many worthwhile projects and programmes as possible.
I believe it is due to the commendable efforts of all of you represented here, as well as the hard work of government departments, that we are able to observe in 1995 a downward trend in the number of drug abusers reported to the Central Registry of Drug Abuse. Comparing statistics for 1995 with the previous year, there has been a decrease of 8.3 per cent for all reported young drug abusers, and a bigger drop of 27.5 per cent for newly reported young drug abusers.
This is good news, particularly after the figures for the early 1990s - from 1990-1994 - when we saw a steep rise in the figures. I think they went up by about 250 per cent in four years. Good news but not news that in any way should make us complacent. Youngsters are still making up a high proportion of the newly reported cases. This remains a matter of particular concern. We will need to give a further boost to the Beat Drugs campaign and to look for further initiatives to reduce the drugs problem. I hope that the meeting this afternoon will help us to do this and that you will share your experience and your ideas with us.
I propose to divide our discussion this afternoon into four separate sessions: protecting the community from drugs, helping young people to resist drugs, reintegration into the community, and understanding the drug problem.
Each session will begin with a number of short prepared presentations and then
I will throw the topic open to contributions from the floor.
I want your ideas and I want your advice, both about what the Government can do, but also about what the community as a whole, or sectors of the community, or groups at the district level, can do to contribute to our Beat Drugs campaign. When I call for comments from the floor please feel free to put up your hands. I will ask our staff to pass you a wireless microphone so that you can speak from where you are seated.
I hope that when people speak they will do their best to keep their comments short can I repeat that - to keep their comments short and to the point, simply so that as many people as possible will have a chance to speak.