ENG-2015 — Page 327

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Public Order

Treatment and Rehabilitation

A variety of treatment and rehabilitation services is available to drug abusers with different needs. Major services include a compulsory treatment programme run by the Correctional Services Department, voluntary residential programmes run by NGOs in 39 centres, a voluntary methadone outpatient treatment programme operated by the Department of Health, substance abuse clinics at all seven hospital clusters of the Hospital Authority, and more than 10 counselling centres for psychotropic substance abusers and drug abusers run by NGOs.

In July 2015, the division issued a Three-year Plan on Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services in Hong Kong to set out its priorities and strategies covering 2015 to 2017, and to provide direction for anti-drug service providers to review and develop their action plans.

Legislation and Enforcement

The division and relevant departments closely monitor the changing drug scene and regularly review the laws to meet any emerging threat. In 2015, the definition of synthetic cannabinoids in the First Schedule of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance was updated and NBOMe compounds were brought under the control of the ordinance. The police and the Customs and Excise Department take action against drug crimes: 1,239kg and 12,133 tablets of major types of drugs were seized in 2015 and 4,717 people were arrested for drug-related offences.

Drug Abuse, Statistics and Trends

The Central Registry of Drug Abuse compiles drug abuser statistics from a wide network of reporting agencies, including law enforcement departments, youth outreach teams, treatment and rehabilitation agencies, hospitals and clinics.

In 2015, some 8,598 drug abusers were recorded in the registry, of which 24 per cent were new cases and 8 per cent were aged under 21. Heroin continued to be the most commonly abused drug in Hong Kong, afflicting 52 per cent of drug abusers. Psychotropic substance abusers made up 63 per cent, and 96 per cent of abusers under the age of 21 abused psychotropic substances. Commonly abused psychotropic substances included ice (26 per cent), ketamine (23 per cent) and triazolam/midazolam/zopiclone (11 per cent). In 2015, 23 per cent of abusers abused more than one drug. The drug history of newly reported abusers continued to rise. Half of them had abused drugs for at least 5.8 years, compared with 5.2 years in 2014.

External Co-operation

Hong Kong supports Mainland and international action against drug abuse and trafficking, and takes part in related international and regional meetings, seminars and symposiums. Three international anti-drug conventions, which provide a treaty-based framework for international co-operation to address the problem, apply to Hong Kong: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

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