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Following is a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Starry Lee in the Legislative Council today (March 10):
Question:
According to the 2008-2009 Survey of Drug Use among Students ("the Survey") released by the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau at the end of last month, the number of secondary school students who had abused drugs soared 30% to 20,000 when compared to the 2004-2005 Survey. The number of senior primary school students who had abused drugs exceeded 3,000, and among the schools sampled in the Survey, 90% of them had students who had abused drugs. Some organisations indicated that as shown by the Survey results, 90% of the primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong have been infiltrated by drugs, indicating that primary schools have replaced secondary schools as the front line of this anti-drug war. Yet, it was not until July last year that the Government announced the launch of the community-wide campaign against drug abuse. Moreover, as revealed by the Survey, most of the secondary schools students who had abused drugs believed that using drugs would affect their appearance, harm their health and affect their studies. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective measures adopted in primary and secondary schools in the past 10 years for combating the infiltration of drugs into school campus; for early identification and provision of support for primary school students who abuse drugs, of the specific measures put in place by the Government to help primary schools take a more positive attitude in dealing with the problem of drug abuse among their students, so as to avoid the anti-drug efforts on school campus being affected by the worries of schools about their reputation;
(b) focusing on the fact that most of the secondary school students who abuse drugs keep on doing so although they recognise the harm of drug addiction, whether the authorities will review afresh the existing anti-drug publicity strategies and means to fight against the spread of drug abuse, including enhancement of the efforts at different levels in teaching teenagers how to face negative emotions; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether they will review afresh the existing supporting measures for assisting teenagers in rehabilitation from drug addiction, including the policy on rehabilitation centres-cum-schools; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) given that the Survey outcome reflects that the situation of youth drug abuse is very serious and spreading in schools, yet no student has been found to have abused drugs since the implementation of the Trial Scheme on School Drug Testing in the Tai Po District in December last year, whether the authorities will consider reviewing the effectiveness of the scheme earlier, so as to achieve more effectively the objective of early identification?
Reply:
President,
(a) The Narcotics Division (ND) regularly conducts large-scale surveys to gain an understanding of the latest drug-taking situation of secondary school students. Findings of the 2008/09 Survey affirm the trend of rising prevalence of drug abuse in schools and the community as well as the lowering age of drug abusers. The data also corroborate the developments that have been identified through the on-going monitoring system. After appointing the Secretary for Justice in October 2007 to lead a task force to tackle the youth drug abuse problem, the Chief Executive further escalated the anti-drug efforts to a community campaign level last July.
Over the years, the Education Bureau (EDB) and ND have made joint efforts to enhance drug education in schools and incorporated anti-drug elements in both the school curriculum and other learning activities. Besides, ND and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been sponsoring non-government organisations to organise anti-drug education programmes for primary and secondary school students. The Department of Health (DH) imparts knowledge of healthy lifestyle through the Student Health Service and the Adolescent Health Programme. The Police take an active role in curbing the spread of drugs to schools through the Police School Liaison Programme. Meanwhile, many schools and voluntary organisations have received funding from the Beat Drugs Fund for organising activities on healthy living and anti-drug abuse.
The school sector is an important front in preventing drug abuse. To enable early identification of and provision of support for drug-abusing students, and to facilitate anti-drug efforts in schools, EDB will encourage schools to devise a healthy school policy with an anti-drug element to help students develop a healthy lifestyle, build up positive values, acquire practical life skills and skills to resist temptations. To assist schools to formulate a healthy school policy, EDB will distribute an anti-drug resource kit to schools next week. EDB, ND and the organisation which prepared the resource kit will organise briefing sessions for school heads and teachers on the healthy school policy and the application of the resource kit. The Administration will also continue to provide a half-day on-site training programme and a two-day advanced training programme for teachers to enhance their anti-drug knowledge.
To address the problem of drug abuse of primary school students, the Administration will progressively extend the coverage of anti-drug education programmes from senior primary to junior primary level, step up preventive education and publicity against cough medicine and inhalants, and enhance anti-drug training for the management and teachers of primary schools.
(b) Having regard to the causes of youth drug abuse, such as curiosity, peer pressure and misconception that drugs are not addictive, we will enhance young people's knowledge on drugs through various means. We seek to make them aware that drugs are highly addictive and will inflict serious harm to the body, and that they have a choice and can refuse the temptation of drugs. The Beat Drugs Fund will also specifically encourage anti-drug projects which promote positive peer relationships and life-skill training programmes which teach young people how to face adversity.
Various government departments will actively collaborate with community organisations, uniform groups, women organisations, schools and parents to enhance the provision of activities for physical and mental development, counselling hotlines, and training camps in schools and in the community. ND and the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) will continue to make use of the "Path Builders" service platform to assist professional bodies, organisations, and community associations willing to take up this social responsibility. These groups can leverage on their expertise and resources and collaborate among different sectors to help the young people. They can help foster a culture of care for youngsters and guide them to establish positive goals and cut out their path in life.
As regards assistance for young people to quit drugs, the Task Force led by the Secretary for Justice published a detailed report with a host of recommendations and formulated well-defined strategies and measures. On this basis, we published in April last year the Fifth Three-year Plan on Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services in Hong Kong following extensive consultation with the anti-drug sector. The Plan sets out our strategic action plan from 2009 to 2011 and work in the short to medium term. Following the allocation of additional resources in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years, funds have also been earmarked in the 2010-11 Budget for taking forward measures on drug treatment and rehabilitation.
In the long run, we will, in consultation with ACAN and community stakeholders, develop a structured and tiered intervention framework to provide a continuum of client-based treatment and rehabilitation services and strengthen the roles and functions of healthcare, education and aftercare services. The Administration has been closely monitoring the change in demand for drug treatment and rehabilitation services. We are exploring with anti-drug agencies the possible models, facilities and equipment, scope of services, and treatment period of more effective rehabilitation services. We will invite proposals in due course.
For youngsters who have drug dependence and require residential drug treatment service, their most pressing needs are kicking the habit, rebuilding confidence and setting new life goals. As an appropriate arrangement in the best interest of young drug abusers, the service provided should also help young drug abusers resist the temptation of drugs and prepare them to return to schools or reintegrate into society. In this regard, gathering student drug abusers in one school may give rise to concerns by some students and parents that this might bring an adverse labelling effect on students. Notwithstanding this, there are treatment and rehabilitation centres which successfully provide treatment service to drug-abusing students in a similar mode. The Administration will therefore continue to provide the necessary assistance to various treatment programmes which have proved to be effective, regardless of whether the services are religion-based, education-based or otherwise, to enrich the service content and offer more options for youngsters who are willing to receive drug treatment services and their parents.
(c) The Trial Scheme on School Drug Testing in Tai Po District (the Trial Scheme) aims at strengthening the resolve of non-drug taking students to stay away from drugs and motivating youngsters who have fallen victim to drugs to seek help at an early stage.
It is premature at this stage to conclude whether the Trial Scheme is effective or not. We have to take various factors into consideration in our review or research, including whether the Trial Scheme has motivated students in need to undergo voluntary drug treatment, the awareness and ability of students to resist drugs, the attitude towards drugs and drug abusing behaviour, etc. Since the launch of the Trial Scheme, there is a marked increase in the number of cases from students voluntarily seeking help in the Tai Po district. From this perspective, we believe that the Trial Scheme has already entailed a positive effect. The voluntary participation of more than 12,000 students in the Trial Scheme has sent a positive message of staying away from drugs to all their fellow students in Hong Kong.
The Trial Scheme, which is being implemented as scheduled, will last till mid-2010 when the school year ends. ND has commissioned a professional research organisation to undertake a research in parallel, including a comprehensive assessment on the design, operational procedures and effectiveness, research on other local and overseas experience in school drug testing, and suggestion of appropriate refinements and improvements to the scheme, before deciding whether or how it should be gradually rolled out to other schools or districts. The entire research will be completed in the third quarter of this year. We will carefully consider the findings of the research and decide on the way forward on school drug testing, having regard to the views of various stakeholders.
Ends/Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:33
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