XN000022-1993-03-18 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1993

DRUG ABUSE PROBLEM AMONG YOUNGSTERS ON THE INCREASE

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ACCORDING

TO THE CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG ABUSE'S STATISTICS FOR 1992, THE PROBLEM OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG YOUNGSTERS IS ON THE INCREASE.

THE STATISTICS SHOW THAT 1,386 DRUG ABUSERS AGED UNDER 21 WERE REPORTED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO THE CENTRAL REGISTRY LAST YEAR. THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 34.6% OVER THE FIGURE OF 1,030 FOR 1991.

THE UPWARD TREND IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PERSONS AMONG THE NEWLY REPORTED CASES, FROM 30% IN 1987 TO 38.2% IN 1991 AND 47.7% IN 1992.

REGARDING THE TYPES OF DRUGS ABUSED, THE CENTRAL REGISTRY'S STATISTICS REVEAL THAT AMONG THE 995 YOUNGSTERS NEWLY REPORTED IN 1992 WITH INFORMATION ON THE TYPES OF DRUGS ABUSED, 57.5% HAD ABUSED HEROIN, 25.9% COUGH MEDICINE, 23% CANNABIS AND 2.2% ORGANIC SOLVENTS.

1992, 1991.

AS FOR THE NUMBER OF PERSONS ARRESTED FOR DRUG OFFENCES IN 1,359 WERE AGED UNDER 21, AN INCREASE OF 54.6% COMPARED WITH

OF THE 15,108 PERSONS REPORTED TO THE CENTRAL REGISTRY IN 1992, 2,904 (OR 19.2%) WERE IDENTIFIED AS NEW CASES,

REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 7.7% OVER THE FIGURE OF 2,697 FOR 1991.

THE STATISTICS ALSO SHOW THAT AMONG THE NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS, THE AVERAGE AGE OF INITIAL DRUG ABUSE WAS 22.

HOWEVER, A GREATER PROPORTION OF THE DRUG ABUSERS HAD STARTED TO ABUSE DRUGS AT YOUNGER AGES.

IN 1992, 52.5% OF THE NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS HAD ABUSED DRUGS UNDER THE AGE OF 20; THE CORRESPONDING PROPORTION WAS 43.1% A YEAR BEFORE.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NARCOTICS DIVISION SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT IN VIEW OF THE INCREASE IN THE ABUSE OF COUGH MEDICINE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS, SINCE JANUARY 1 THIS YEAR, PLACED THE SALE OF COUGH MEDICINE CONTAINING MORE THAN 0.1% OF CODEINE OR DEXTROMETHORPHAN UNDER STRICT CONTROL UNDER THE PHARMACY AND POISONS REGULATIONS.

THE EFFECTS OF THE NEW CONTROL AS A DETERRENT MEASURE ARE BEING MONITORED.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID YOUNGSTERS HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A HIGH- RISK GROUP AND THEY REMAINED THE MAIN TARGET OF PREVENTIVE DRUG EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY PROGRAMMES.

THEM

SUBSTANTIAL EFFORTS CONTINUED TO BE DEVOTED TO REMINDING OF THE DANGERS OF ABUSING DRUGS AND OTHER ADDICTIVE AND HARMFUL SUBSTANCES.

/HE SAID