Talkback

Do young drug abusers need more support?

A 13-old-girl who was partying in a Mong Kok nightclub died after taking an overdose of the party drug ecstasy.

In another incident, five Hong Kong students were arrested for drug-related offences.

I think we need to look seriously at drug abuse by young people.

One major problem is that most youngsters find it easy to get drugs if they want them.

Some people will be tempted to start taking drugs because they want to gain peer acceptance.

Also, so much is asked of our young people. They have to compete for Form Six and university places. They have many exercises to do in class and lots of homework. Many of them struggle to keep up.

This excessive pressure will definitely lead to some youngsters taking drugs.

However, they may be ignorant about the effect the drugs will have. They do not realise the danger until it is too late.

These young drug abusers really need more support.

The police must crack down on drug suppliers and make it more difficult for these people to peddle drugs.

The government should build more rehabilitation centres, hire more social workers and step up outreach services.

Also, parents should take the initiative and try to spend more time with their children so they get the proper guidance they need at an early age.

If more of the kind of help I have described is offered to young people, then hopefully more of them will avoid the evils of drug addiction.

Mandy Lai Man-na, Diamond Hill

People who abuse drugs are considered a burden on society. It is not thought that such people will be able to make a productive contribution.

However, does that mean they should be neglected and that we should not offer them any help? Drug abusers need our support to help them quit.

Even though they want to escape from drugs, it is not easy to do once you have become addicted.

It demands a great deal of courage, persistence and determination for a drug addict to kick the habit. If we can show our support, we will be able to help.

Especially when it comes to young addicts, we must give them opportunities to turn over a new leaf. Most addicts feel very low self-esteem and believe that other people look down on them.

We need to show these people that we do care about them.

For instance, employers should be willing to recruit ex-drug addicts.

Addicts who want to give up drugs should not be seen as criminals but as people who are weak but want to change and need help to do so.

Kim Yip, Kwun Tong

What is your view on the euthanasia debate?

The word euthanasia comes from the Greek eu and thanatos, meaning 'good death'.

I was surprised to learn that a coalition of hospice care groups is against a debate on euthanasia.

We should not confuse euthanasia with the provision of resources on hospice care. Euthanasia merely gives a humane option of dying with dignity to the terminally ill.

With a growing aged population, increasing finance to hospice care should be one of our top priorities.

We should debate the issue of euthanasia and implement legislation to allow physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

These victims purposelessly suffer from unbearable pain, incontinence, continuous nausea and vomiting. Worst of all, they lose their dignity.

With proper legislation (see the Death with Dignity Act of 1997 in the US state of Oregon), any abuses of euthanasia can be eliminated.

As a recovering cancer patient, I am arguing for the availability of euthanasia if and when I need it. It is a very personal argument.

However, for those who are against euthanasia or are not making it available, I just pray that you will not require such an option in your last days.

Euthanasia allows the terminally ill to die with dignity. It is the ultimate show of respect for life.

Ko King-tim, Kowloon Tong

Should we preserve

the King of Kowloon's graffiti?

Some may say the graffiti of Tsang Tsou-choi is only the legacy of an old man and there is no point in preserving it.

However, I think we should save it because it has artistic and cultural value.

I am sure a lot of us have seen the King of Kowloon's graffiti on the streets of Hong Kong. His handwriting is so unique and stylish that it earned him an international arts award.

Why can't we treat it as a form of art, rather than a kind of pollution?

The King of Kowloon's graffiti not only symbolises Hong Kong's street culture, it is proof of Hong Kong's political transformation.

Cultural relics are often sacrificed for development projects. I hope that the government will not play the same old trick when it comes to the King of Kowloon's graffiti.

Wong Ho-in, Diamond Hill

I do not think the King of Kowloon's graffiti is worth preserving, as it does not relate to our collective memory.

Although many Hong Kong people know of this man, his graffiti is not significant and it does not epitomise the city's character.

We should take care when we use terms like 'collective memory' and 'preservation'.

Felix Lam, Stanley