XN000022-1984-01-19 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1984

IT SAYS, DRUGS ABUSED BY VARIOUS SECTORS OF SOCIETY, INCLUDING YOUTH IN FORMATIVE YEARS, INCLUDE OPIATES, COCAINE, CANNABIS AND A VARIETY OF PSYCHOTROPIC AND OTHER DEPENDENCE-PRODUCING SUBSTANCES.

+HEALTH HAZARDS ARE AUGMENTED BY MULTIPLE USE OF THESE DRUGS AND BY THE INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS MEANS BY WHICH THEY ARE TAKEN.+

IT STRESSES THAT THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY DRUG ABUSE TO INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES ON THE ONE HAND AND TO THE COUNTRIES' SOCIAL FABRICS, ON THE OTHER, IS SUCH AS TO NECESSITATE SUSTAINED AND DETERMINED COUNTERACTION.

+ ILLICIT DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING NOT ONLY ADVERSELY AFFECTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN MANY COUNTRIES, BUT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE SPREADING OF CRIME, VIOLENCE AND CORRUPTION, THE REPORT SAYS.

IN ITS CONCLUDING REMARKS, THE BOARD ADMITS THAT THE DRUG ABUSE PROBLEM IS COMPLEX IN THAT IT INVOLVES HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND VARIES FROM COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY, COUNTRY TO COUNTRY AND DRUG TO DRUG.

+EP IDEMIOLOGIC DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ARE ESSENTIAL TO IDENTIFY TRENDS AND SHIFTS IN PATTERNS OF ABUSE, IT SAYS.

+EQUALLY ESSENTIAL IS THE POLITICAL WILL TO IMPLEMENT COMPREHENSIVE DEMAND REDUCTION PROGRAMMES. SUCH PROGRAMMES SHOULD INCLUDE PREVENTION, TREATMENT, EDUCATION, AFTER-CARE, REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF THE PERSONS INVOLVED.

+COMMUNITY AND PARENT PARTICIPATION IN THE PREVENTION OF DRUG ABUSE AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG DEPENDENT PERSONS HAS PROVEN AN EFFECTIVE FORCE IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES,

+THE RESULTS MERIT ORGANISED ACTION TO PROMOTE SIMILAR MOVEMENTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.+

MORE AND BETTER SERVICES FOR ELDERLY

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RESIDENTIAL PLACES FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE WILL BE INCREASED IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS BY 6 500, ALMOST DOUBLING THE EXISTING 7 000 PLACES.

THIS WAS REVEALED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR JOHN CHAMBERS, WHEN HE OPENED THE LOK SIN TONG CHU TING CHEONG HOME FOR THE AGED IN TAI PO.

BY THEN, IT WAS HOPED. THE DEMAND FOR RESIDENTIAL CARE WOULD BE FULLY MET, HE SAID.

TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING ELDERLY POPULATION, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WERE PROVIDING MORE AND BETTER SERVICES FOR THEM, MR CHAMBERS SAID.

/THESE SERVICES