Scheme fails to yield results

No positive results were found in a trial voluntary drug-testing scheme that started in Tai Po schools in December, a government spokesman has said.

By the end of last month, the government-assigned drug testing team had visited all 23 public secondary schools in Tai Po participating in the scheme. Among them, 313 students were randomly selected for the screening test.

Of them, 264 students took the test and no positive confirmed case was found, a government spokesman said.

One false-positive case was found, the spokesman said. The specimen was sent to the government laboratory for confirmation and tests yielded a negative result. False positives can happen when common drugs such as paracetamol are taken.

The spokesman said at this stage the government had no definite plan or timetable to extend the scheme to more schools.