TNAG-0417-FCO40-463-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 25

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an impact on the public to some degree at least, and may have been

material in deterring numbers of young people in particular from

experimenting with drugs and in making parents alive to the dangers

of the problem overall. It is impossible to quote any success or failure rate in 'advertising' negative articles such as prohibited

drugs. But the time, effort and money spent so far does not appear to have been wasted and much of value has been accomplished. Education and publicity must continue to feature large in the future in the implementation of Government's policy to eradicate

drug abuse from the community.

12.

It will be recalled from Appendix 'A', paragraph 7, that in May 1972 the Illicit Traffic Sub-Committee was merged

into the Deterrents Sub-Committee and the terms of reference of

the latter revised on this account. The last meeting of the Illicit Traffic Sub-Committee as such, the 16th since its inception, was held in May 1966 following which it became moribund. An attempt was made to revive it in June 1968 but both

the Preventive Service and the Narcotics Bureau of the Police Force held at that time that co-operation between them was good

and that the Sub-Committee served no useful purpose.

13.

The last meeting of the Deterrents Sub-Committee prior to the Illicit Traffic Sub-Committee being merged with it was held in April 1971. Although it accomplished some useful work over the years since its beginning in 1965, it would not appear that the more severe punishments provided in the law during this period have had any noticeable effect in deterring people from either trading in, manufacturing, or consuming narcotics, since the Courts have not chosen to follow the lead of the Legislature in this matter. This is something which will be examined in more

detail in Paper Four.

14.

In mid-1971 serious consideration began to be given to merging the Illicit Traffic Sub-Committee into the Deterrents Sub-Committee. The reasoning behind this move was that the two subjects were so closely interrelated that consideration of one

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