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SCMP Reporter

MORE Hongkong youths are beginning to use drugs at an earlier age, according to the Narcotics Division.

  Statistics released yesterday by the Central Registry of Drug Abuse show that of 2,904 newly reported addicts last year, 52 per cent began abusing drugs before they reached the age of 20.

  This compares with about 43 per cent of the 2,697 newly reported drug abusers in 1991.

  The figures also reveal a 35 per cent increase in the number of newly reported drug abusers under the age of 21 last year, from 1,030 in 1991 to 1,386.

  A counsellor with the Wu Oi Christian Centre, Mr Sean Poon Shun, said peer pressure and worries about 1997 were driving youngsters to experiment with drugs at an early age.

  ''Many teenagers just don't see a future. Everything is so unpredictable after 1997 and it is so difficult to make long term goals,'' he said.

  ''Parents are preparing [for 1997] by trying to make more money, so they spend less time with their children who get fed up and may want to try something different like drugs.''   Last year the youngest admission at Wu Oi's rehabilitation centre for juvenile drug abusers was an 11-year-old heroin addict.

  The centre can accommodate about 20 youths who are often referred by the District Court.

  ''Right now we have a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old in our programme. But there are many more out there who are not being helped,'' Mr Poon said.

  The central registry's figures also reveal that 1,359 people under 21 were arrested for drug offences last year, a 55 per cent jump over 1991.

  A member of the Action Committee Against Narcotics, a government advisory body, said the police should focus more on teenage drug pushers.

  Mr James To Kun-sun said police seemed to concentrate on adult traffickers, neglecting the growing problem of substance abuse among youths.

  ''The police must go into the youth community to gather intelligence,'' he said.

  ''As things stand now it seems that once the adult dealer passes on the drugs to the young trafficker, it becomes hard to detect.''    He urged the Government to recognise the seriousness of the problem and to review its drug education programme.

  According to the registry, heroin was the most popular drug among youngsters last year. It accounted for almost 58 per cent of the 995 newly reported cases in which a substance could be identified.

  Cough syrup ranked second, accounting for 26 per cent of newly reported cases among youths, while cannabis was third with 23 per cent.

   A spokesman for the Narcotics Division said drug education talks were given to secondary and primary six students. Seminars were organised for parents and teachers in a bid to curb substance abuse among youths.



Shock rise in younger drug users