Public Order | 339
Legislation
Regular reviews are conducted to bring in suitable amendments or revision to the existing ordinances to cope with changes in the latest drug situation.
Treatment and Rehabilitation
Hong Kong provides a variety of treatment and rehabilitation services to cater to the needs of drug abusers from different backgrounds.
The major drug treatment and rehabilitation services include a compulsory drug treatment programme operated by the Correctional Services Department, a voluntary methadone out-patient treatment programme provided by the Department of Health, and voluntary residential programmes run by NGOs including Christian therapeutic drug treatment centres. Medical and psychiatric treatment for psychotropic substance abusers is provided by five substance abuse clinics under the Hospital Authority. In addition, five Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers operated by NGOs are subvented by the Social Welfare Department to provide community-based treatment services to psychotropic substances abusers and support services to families.
Centres offering voluntary residential treatment to four or more people are licensed by the Social Welfare Department to ensure that the centres are in line with present-day safety and management requirements under the Drug Dependent Persons Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres (Licensing) Ordinance. By the end of the year, 31 Certificates of Exemption were issued to centres operating before the ordinance came into effect, and nine centres were operating with a valid licence.
A task force of government and NGOs representatives was formed as recommended by the Three-Year Plan on Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (2003-05). The new body will run a pilot service information system to provide data for drawing up a framework of standards for reference by local drug treatment services in the future. Arrangements are being made to test run the system next year.
Also following a recommendation in the 2003-05 plan, the Narcotics Division, with advice from a working group of academics and experienced service workers in the field, commissioned the School of Continuing Education of Baptist University Hong Kong to provide the first-ever structured professional certificate course for anti- drug social workers and peer-counsellors. The course will be launched in the first quarter of 2006.
A revised version of the Protocol of Screening and Assessment of Polydrug Abusers was published in December. The protocol equips frontline anti-drug workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with psychotropic substance abuse problems and give early assessments so that clients with poly-drug abuse problems can be referred to suitable services.
Preventive Education and Publicity
The Narcotics Division adopted a multi-faceted approach to publicising the anti- drug message during the year. The division continued to provide programmes for students at Primary 5 and 6 levels and students at English Schools Foundation and
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