ENG-1996 — Page 225

HEALTH

The Beat Drugs Fund

In March 1996, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a grant of $350 million for setting up the Beat Drugs Fund. It aims to promote worthwhile anti-drug activities which can help reduce the problem of drug abuse, particularly among the young, and to promote community-wide efforts and programmes in the campaign against drug abuse.

The fund is administered by the Beat Drugs Fund Association, on the advice of ACAN, and applications are invited twice each year. Results of the first tranche of applications were announced in September 1996. A total of $8.7 million was disbursed.

Legislation and Law Enforcement

Further progress was made during the year towards enabling the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances to be extended to Hong Kong. The Control of Chemicals Ordinance came into operation on January 1, 1996, giving effect to Article 12 of the convention by extending statutory licensing control to some chemicals which can be used to make dangerous drugs. The other main international agreements in this area, the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, have already been extended to the territory. In June 1996, legislative amendments were passed to tighten up record-keeping requirements on the acquisition and supply of dangerous drugs, and drastically increasing fines for offences in contravention of such requirements from $50,000 to $450,000. The amendments have helped to strengthen the law enforcement agencies' ability to tackle the problem of improper supply of dangerous drugs by unscrupulous authorised persons.

During the year, vigorous law enforcement efforts have produced considerable success in terms of seizures and arrests, both at home and overseas. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the Customs and Excise Department seized some 221 kilograms of heroin, 8 822 kilograms of cannabis, 43 kilograms of methamphetamine, 16 kilograms of cocaine, and substantial quantities of various narcotics, analgesics and tranquillisers, while 15 028 persons were arrested for various drug offences. Joint operations with overseas law enforcement agencies neutralised several international drug trafficking syndicates. Substantial quantities of dangerous drugs were seized and ringleaders arrested locally and abroad.

Since the enactment of the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance, assets valued at $123.4 million have been ordered confiscated and $208.9 million had been paid to the Hong Kong Government by the end of 1996. Further assets amounting to $143.6 million have been placed under restraint.

Treatment and Rehabilitation

The main types of treatment and rehabilitation programmes include a compulsory drug addiction treatment programme operated by the Correctional Services Department for convicted drug abusers; a voluntary out-patient methadone treatment programme provided by the Department of Health; voluntary in-patient programmes run by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (SARDA) and other non-governmental organisations including several Christian

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