XN000022-1978-10-11 — Page 29

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1978

HONG KONG'S ANTI-NARCOTICS WORK ACHIEVING RESULTS

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID TODAY THAT THE SITUATION OF HONG KONG'S TRADITIONAL PROBLEM OF DRUG ADDICTION AND TRAFFICKING IS BEGINNING TO LOOK ENCOURAGING+.

IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SIR MURRAY SAID: +ALL THE INDICATIONS NOW POINT TO A STEADY CONTAINMENT OF THE NUMBERS ADDICTED, AND TO A REDUCTION OF THE NUMBERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE BECOMING INVOLVED.+

BUT HE EMPHASISED THAT WE HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE ROAD TO BE TRAVELLED, OR ABOUT THE DANGERS OF REGRESSION IF THE INTENSITY OF THESE MANY-SIDED ENDEAVOURS WERE RELAXED.

LIAISON WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES, DISRUPTION OF IMPORTATION, MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION, EROSION OF DEMAND BY VOLUNTARY OR COMPULSORY CURE, AND BETTER ÉDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE DANGERS OF ADDICTION AND THE AVAILABILITY OF CURE, WERE ALL HAVING THEIR EFFECT PARTICULARLY SINCE ALL ACTION WAS NOW SO CLOSELY CO-ORDINATED BY THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS, SUPPORTED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS, SIR MURRAY POINTED OUT.

+WE CAN THEREFORE CONCENTRATE ON OUR DOMESTIC PROBLEM,+ SIR MURRAY ADDED.

HOWEVER, SIR MURRAY SAID THIS PROBLEM MIGHT NOT BE QUITE SO LARGE AS WE HAD FEARED BECAUSE IT NOW SEEMED POSSIBLE THAT THE NUMBER OF ADDICTS MIGHT BE CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN 50,000 INSTEAD OF THE PREVIOUS ESTIMATE OF 100,000, ACCORDING TO THE INITIAL DATA FROM THE NEW COMPUTER I SED REGISTER OF ADDICTS.

FURTHERMORE, HE SAID THAT WITH THE LARGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY TREATMENT CENTRES NOW AVAILABLE AND THE EXPANSION OF ACCOMMODATION IN COMPULSORY DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRES, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ADDICTS UNDER COMPULSORY OR VOLUNTARY TREATMENT OR FURTHER CARE AT ANY ONE TIME, NOW AVERAGES BETWEEN 13,000 AND 14,000.

+THIS IS PROBABLY STILL TOO SMALL A PROPORTION OF THE WHOLE, EVEN WITH THE COMPARATIVELY HIGH SUCCESS RATE ACHIEVED IN COMPARISON TO THOSE ELSEWHERE,+ SIR MURRAY SAID.

+NEVERTHELESS THERE ARE HEARTENING INDICATORS. FOR INSTANCE THE PERCENTAGE OF ALL PERSONS ENTERING PRISON INSTITUTIONS FOUND TO BE ADDICTED HAS DROPPED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS FROM 73 PER CENT TO 40 PER CENT IT WAS A STAGGERING 90 PER CENT IN 1950 AND THE PERCENTAGE AMONGST THOSE UNDER 21 HAS DROPPED FROM 4.7 PER CENT TO UNDER 1 PER CENT,+ SIR MURRAY SAID.

SIR MURRAY SAID THAT THIS FERMENT OF PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG HAS STIMULATED CONSIDERADLE INTERNATIONAL INTEREST. STEADY FLOW OF VISITORS COME TO STUDY OUR METHODS AND THE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD'S REPORT FOR 1977 REFERRED TO THE VALUE OF HONG KONG'S EXPERIENCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

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