XN000022-1976-08-24 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1976

SUCCESS OF METHADONE PROGRAMMES

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DRUG PUSHERS, ALARMED BY THE SUCCESS OF THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S METHADONE PROGRAMMES, ARE MAKING ALL POSSIBLE ATTEMPTS TO LURE THE ADDICTS AWAY FROM METHADONE DETOXIFICATION OR METHADONE MAINTENANCE.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (NARCOTICS), DR. K.F. CHAN, TOLD A MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON EAST THAT THE PUSHERS LURKED AROUND SOME OF THE METHADONE CENTRES OFFERING CHEAP HEROIN TO THE PATIENTS AND SPREADING FALSE RUMOURS ABOUT THE ILL-EFFECTS OF METHADONE.

HE URGED DRUG ADDICTS NOT TO BELIEVE IN THE RUMOUR THAT METHADONE PROGRAMMES WERE GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTS USING ADDICTS AS GUINEA PIGS OR THAT METHADONE CAUSES GREENISH OR BLACKISH DISCOLOURISATION OF THE SKIN OR EVEN DEATH.

DR. CHAN STRESSED THAT GOVERNMENT WAS NOT EXPERIMENTING WITH ADDICTS, ADDING THAT METHADONE PROGRAMMES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE STUDIES COMMENCED IN 1972 BY BOTH THE HONG KONG DISCHARGED PRISONERS AID SOCIETY AND THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAD PRODUCED EVIDENCE THAT THIS METHOD OF TREATMENT WAS SUITABLE FOR LOCAL ADDICTS.

DR. CHAN ASSURED THAT METHADONE WOULD NOT GIVE RISE TO ANY PERMANENT DISCOLOURISATION OF THE SKIN.

+IN FACT, AFTER A FEW WEEKS ON DETOXIFICATION, THE PATIENTS THEMSELVES WILL NOTICE THAT THEY PRESENT A FRESH COUNTENANCE,+ HE SAID.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT SINCE 1972 WHEN THE FIRST MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME WAS STARTED THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE SINGLE CASE OF DEATH DUE TO METHADONE.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAID THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF ANY DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMME DEPENDED ON THE MOTIVATION AND DETERMINATION OF THE ADDICTS THEMSELVES.

HE OBSERVED THAT SOME ADDICTS HAD NO MOTIVATION AT ALL, AND THEY CAME FOR METHADONE WHEN THEY HAD NO MONEY BUT BACK TO HEROIN WHEN THEY COULD AFFORD IT.

IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE PATIENTS WERE IN NEED OF REGULAR BOLSTERING OF THEIR MOTIVATION, SAID DR. CHAN.

FOR THIS PURPOSE, HE SAID, ADDICTS ATTENDING METHADONE CENTRES WERE GIVEN IN-DEPTH COUNSELLING BY EITHER A DOCTOR OR A SOCIAL WORKER AND WERE FREE TO DISCUSS THEIR PROBLEMS IN CONFIDENCE.

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