XN000022-1986-12-29 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1986

SCHOOL DRUG TALKS TEAM TO BE EXPANDED

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THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS (ACAN) DECIDED AT ITS 62ND MEETING TODAY (MONDAY) TO SUPPORT A PROPOSAL TO EXPAND THE SCHOOL TALKS TEAM OF THE NARCOTICS DIVISION,

THE COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS, MR GORDON MORTIMER, SAID THAT UP TO THE END OF NOVEMBER 1986, THE TEAM HAD DELIVERED 585 DRUG EDUCATION TALKS TO MORE THAN 180 000 STUDENTS IN 351 SECONDARY SCHOOLS SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN FEBRUARY 1984.

+ IN OTHER WORDS, THE TEAM HAS NOW COVERED NEARLY 81 PER CENT OF SCHOOLS AND 72 PER CENT OF STUDENTS BUT THERE IS A NEED TO INCREASE THE RANGE AND FREQUENCY OF THE TALKS,+ HE SAID.

DRUG EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS HAS ALREADY BEEN REINFORCED BY THE REVISED DRUG EDUCATION TEACHING KIT WHICH WAS PRODUCED BY THE DIVISION AND DISTRIBUTED TO ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN A TERRITORY-WIDE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' SEMINAR HELD IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR.

THE MEETING NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PERSONS REPORTED FOR INVOLVEMENT IN DRUGS IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1986, MAINTAINING THE DOWNWARD TREND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 1984.

IN THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF 1986, 2 060 PERSONS WERE REPORTED TO THE CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG ABUSE (CRDA), A DECREASE OF 21.9 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 2 637 PERSONS IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. THE NUMBER OF NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ALSO DECREASED BY 21.5 PER CENT, FROM 744 TO 584.

HOWEVER, MR MORTIMER TOLD THE MEETING THAT THE NUMBER OF PERSONS REPORTED TO CRDA FOR ABUSING MANDRAX HAD INCREASED.

IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, A TOTAL OF 154 PERSONS WERE REPORTED TO THE CRDA FOR ABUSING MANDRAX COMPARED WITH 72 IN THE WHOLE OF 1985. A FURTHER 192 PERSONS WERE PROSECUTED BY THE POLICE FOR INVOLVEMENT IN MANDRAX OFFENCES COMPARED WITH 69 IN 1985.

+THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SEIZURE OF MANDRAX POWDER AND TABLETS IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, HE SAID.

DURING THIS PERIOD. 33.5 KILOGRAMS OF METHAQUALONE POWDER AND 249 267 MANDRAX TABLETS WERE SEIZED.

/THE SEIZURE ....