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Wednesday, April 7, 1976
NARCOTICS EXPERT DUE HERE THIS MONTH
A leading international narcotics expert will arrive here next month
"to help us get a more accurate picture of the number of addicts in Hong Kong,
and to improve our methods of data-collection and analysis in this field,"
the Secretary for Security, the Hon. Lewis Davies, told the Legislative
Council today.
During the course of his consultancy, the expert would also advise
Hong Kong on means of evaluating success-rates between the different types of
treatment programes now available.
Mr. Davies disclosed this when he replied to points raised by his
Unofficial Colleagues during the resumed budget debate.
The Hon. Hilton Cheong-leen had drawn attention to the large number
of drug addicts in prison and mentioned the reported existence of 80,000 to
100,000 drug addicts in Hong Kong.
In reply, the Secretary for Security said the figure of 100,000
addicts in Hong Kong was a well publicised estimate which it had as yet not
been possible to confirm by any satisfactory fact-based data.
"The only hard facts we have are that there are about 35,000
unduplicated names on the Central Register of Drug Addicts maintained by my
Branch, and there are about 10,000 addicts receiving treatment in either
government or voluntary institutions, in clinics and in after-care: this is
about 700 more than for the corresponding period last year," he said.
Based on available statistics, Mr. Davies agreed that there could
be some connection between narcotics addiction and crime, although at present
"we lack more specific and detailed background data on which to base policy
decisions".
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