XN000022-1994-09-20 — Page 7

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1994

WHILE NEARLY 95 PER CENT OF THE YOUNG DRUG ABUSERS THOUGHT THAT PER CENT THOUGHT TREATMENT WAS REQUIRED FOR HEROIN ABUSE, ONLY 61 LIKEWISE FOR PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

THEIR DRUG-TAKING SIXTY PER CENT BELIEVED THEY COULD CONTROL HABIT TO AVOID BECOMING ADDICTED TO PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES. ONLY PER CENT HELD THE SAME BELIEF IN RELATION TO HEROIN.

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WON'T GET FOR PSYCHOTROPIC ALASDAIR SINCLAIR,

"YOUNG DRUG ABUSER THINK THEY ARE IN CONTROL, THEY ADDICTED AND THEY DON'T NEED TREATMENT AT LEAST SUBSTANCES," THE COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS, MR

SAID.

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"IN ORDER TO HELP THEM, WE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHY SOME YOUNG PEOPLE TURN TO DRUGS AND OTHERS DON'T.

"THIS SURVEY IDENTIFIES SOME OF THE RISK FACTORS. THEY BROKEN HOMES AND RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS.

INCLUDE

"KIDS WHO LACK COPING SKILLS MAY SEEK REFUGE IN COMMISSIONER SUGGESTED.

DRUGS," THE

ABUSERS AGED

THE NARCOTICS DIVISION SURVEY COVERED 500 DRUG UNDER 21. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A COMPARISON GROUP, 500 CHINESE-SPEAKING SECONDARY STUDENTS WERE ALSO SURVEYED.

CENT OF THE YOUNG

ABUSERS DRUG PER SEVENTY AFFILIATIONS AND 90 PER CENT HAD CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS.

HAD TRIAD

THE LATEST STATISTICS FROM THE CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG WERE ALSO DISCUSSED BY ACAN MEMBERS AT THE

MEETING.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE UNDER 21 REPORTED TO THE CENTRAL FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS 732 IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR TO JUNE}. THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 28.6 PER CENT COMPARED TO RECORDED IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN

1993.

ABUSE

REGISTRY {APRIL THE 569

FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE FIGURE WAS 1,483, AN INCREASE OF 37.2 PER CENT OVER THE 1,081 REPORTED IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR.

THE DRUG MOST COMMONLY ABUSED BY NEWLY REPORTED PEOPLE UNDER 21 AND WAS HEROIN (79.5 PER CENT), FOLLOWED BY CANNABIS (16.3 PER CENT) COUGH MEDICINE (10.6 PER CENT).

AGES ROSE FROM HALF OF

THE NUMBER OF NEWLY REPORTED PERSONS OF ALL 1,999 IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR TO 2,523 IN THE FIRST THIS YEAR, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 26.2 PER CENT.

CENTRAL IN

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF ALL AGES REPORTED TO THE REGISTRY ROSE FROM 10,823 IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR TO 11,998 THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 10.9 PER CENT.

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