PARENTS could be kept in the dark about their children's drug habits because of a change in a government drug rehabilitation scheme.
Parents now no longer have to give permission before their children can undergo government methadone treatments.
Watchdog groups say they are concerned the move will lead to a lack of support and supervision from families helping young drug addicts, and that youngsters could be encouraged to lie to their parents.
The Health Department and the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers said the change would allow them to treat more young drug addicts at the 21 methadone centres.
Society spokesman Angela Cheng Miu-nar said the group wanted to encourage more young addicts to seek help.
'Some youth drug addicts dare not come to us to seek methadone treatment because they don't want to let their parents know they are taking drugs,' Ms Cheng said.
All teenagers involved would be assessed and would also require the consent of a doctor and a social worker, she said.
