ENG-1985 — Page 165

HEALTH

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Formed in 1984, the School Talks Team in the Narcotics Division continued to give drug education talks to students aged between 12 and 15 at secondary schools throughout the territory. During the year, a total of 86 000 students in 161 schools attended.

The drug education teaching kit, which was produced in 1978 to assist secondary school teachers in giving lessons on this subject, was revised and will be issued to some 400 schools. It provides teaching materials for Form 1 to Form 5 on the drug problem in Hong Kong and the prevention of drug abuse.

Apart from informing students about the dangers of drug abuse, the Narcotics Division also encouraged young people to participate directly in combatting the problem. The Youth Against Drugs Scheme, which ran for the fifth year, helped 11 groups of young people to plan and implement 20 anti-narcotics promotional activities. The 60-member ACAN Youth Volunteer Group, which was established in 1981 with a view to training and encouraging young volunteers to play an active part in anti-narcotics work, participated in the six district campaigns and organised various community involvement activities.

The Narcotics Division also organised seminars for outreach social workers and school administrators for the purpose of giving them a better understanding of the drug problem and enlisting their active support in the fight against drugs. Moreover, anti-narcotics camps, talks and visits were organised for parents and scout leaders.

To support these activities and publicise the anti-narcotics message, television and radio newsclips and dramas, films, posters and leaflets were produced.

During the year, the ACAN Drug Abuse Telephone Enquiry Service received 2986 enquiries from both addicts and non-addicts. Most enquiries were related to drug addiction treatment facilities.

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Externally, Hong Kong continued to play an active and important part in international anti-narcotics operations by maintaining close links with the United Nations, inter- government agencies such as the Colombo Plan Bureau, Interpol and the Customs Co-operation Council - and with individual governments in Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Hong Kong took part in 20 regional and international meet- ings and seminars concerned with anti-drug law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, and preventive education. Hong Kong also made its 11th annual contribution of $100,000 to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control in support of its world-wide anti- narcotics efforts. These include the opium poppy crop-substitution programme in the 'Golden Triangle' on the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand, which area is the source of most of Hong Kong's opiate drugs.

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The techniques and methods employed by Hong Kong in its anti-narcotics work have made it an important venue for training anti-narcotics personnel from overseas. In 1985, 162 anti-narcotics officers from various countries came to Hong Kong on study visits and training courses, either through bilateral arrangements with their governments or under the sponsorship of a United Nations body such as the World Health Organisation or of the Colombo Plan Bureau. At the same time, experienced officers from the Narcotics Division, the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the Customs and Excise Department frequently went overseas to act as lecturers or consultants on training courses related to anti-drug work.

Environmental Hygiene

The work of the Urban Services Department includes street cleansing, the collection and removal of refuse as well as nightsoil, the management of public toilets and bathhouses, pest control, and the disposal of the dead.

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