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The Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) held a special meeting today (November 17) to discuss the report of the Task Force on Youth Drug Abuse. Members exchanged views with the Secretary for Justice, Mr Wong Yan Lung, SC, who was the chairman of the task force.
ACAN Chairman Dr Choi Yuen-wan said, ¡§We welcome the recommendations and are eager to see the implementation of the measures to tackle the drug problem among youths effectively and forcefully.
¡§We are pleased that these recommendations deal with the problem in a holistic manner spanning all the five prongs of the anti-drug policy.
¡§We endorse the idea of drug tests as a means to identify abusers so that early assistance may be provided to them. Early identification and intervention is a well recognised strategy for drug treatment and rehabilitation.¡¨
Appreciating the complex nature of the issue of drug testing, members supported Government¡¦s plan to engage experts to develop a school-based drug testing scheme for voluntary adoption by schools. Regarding the Task Force recommendation that legislation be made to allow compulsory drug testing to be conducted on reasonably suspected drug abusers, they agreed that thorough consultation should be conducted and views of various sectors widely sought.
Dr Choi said members fully endorsed the proposal to enhance the probation system for young drug offenders. ¡§Some key features of the drug courts overseas will be adopted in the pilot scheme. The intensified rehabilitation programme, which entails closer co-operation between Probation Officers and the Judiciary, will benefit young drug abusers caught by the criminal justice system.¡¨
¡§Members are pleased to learn that the Police are stepping up collaboration with the Shenzhen authorities in tackling the problem of cross-boundary drug abuse. For young people who are caught taking drugs in the Mainland, the Police will inform their parents and advise them of suitable treatment and rehabilitative services. Members are hopeful that this will help the young abusers to quit drugs.¡¨
¡§It is encouraging to see that the Government has allocated more resources to different areas including publicity and preventive education, treatment and rehabilitation, law enforcement and research. As a result, we can enhance drug education for students, provide new resource kits and structured training for schools, and strengthen the Police-School Liaison Scheme,¡¨ Dr Choi added.
¡§We now have two more Substance Abuse Clinics in operation and two more Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers to be set up soon. We are also glad to see other measures like the provision of anti-drug training for medical practitioners, the strengthening of the Juvenile Protection Service under the Police Superintendent Discretion Scheme and an increased number of detector dogs at the boundary control points.¡¨
Members noted that some of the measures for the short and medium term recommended by the task force were being implemented already. They considered the recommendations of the Report as providing the right direction and strategy for tackling the youth drug abuse problem. They supported the strengthening of directorate resources in the Narcotics Division to steer and co-ordinate the implementation of the over 70 Recommendations of the Task Force.
Ends/Monday, November 17, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:11
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