Living the high life

For Chow Ho-yin, taking ketamine is as normal as having a cup of coffee in a cafe. Mr Chow, 24, says he had his first taste of the drug at a disco when he was a secondary student eight years ago. He says he quickly 'moved upward' to cocaine before becoming a trafficker in both drugs, eventually earning 'HK$60,000 to HK$70,000' per month. His career ended when he was convicted of holding a small quantity of ketamine. He was sentenced to six months' rehabilitation. Mr Chow says drug use is so widespread among Hong Kong's young people, it has become a culture. 'Girls come out together for a chat and take ketamine at the same time. It is natural. Some will take it inside a washroom while shopping. It is just like going to a cafe and having a drink.' As a seller, Mr Chow says he was contacted by people from different backgrounds. 'Some are international school students, some are businessmen. Some are rich and have proper jobs, mostly aged between 20 and 30,' Mr Chow said. 'It just becomes a necessity. These youngsters save money for ketamine rather than buying shoes.' According to data from the government's Central Registry of Drug Abuse, the number of people taking psychotropic drugs - like ketamine and cannabis, which operate on the central nervous system - has doubled over the past 10 years. And ketamine has become the substance of choice since 2001. About 80 per cent of people aged under 20 in Hong Kong using psychotropic substances are ketamine users. The government has taken notice. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen expressed his administration's concerns about drug use in last year's policy address. A high-level interdepartmental taskforce, led by Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung, was set up to address the problem. The taskforce was allocated HK$53 million for a variety of medium- and long-term measures. The government has also granted the Beat Drugs Fund an unprecedented HK$33 million for anti-narcotic projects. However, Mr Chow believes the campaign is doomed. 'These kinds of anti-drug campaigns usually take place in shopping centres, but to be honest, who is going to pay attention?' he asks. 'Even if you divided this HK$53 million among these drugs takers, you might not be able to stop them easily, as it has become a habit for most of them.' One reason for ketamine's popularity is its affordability. 'As there is lots of it, it has become cheap now,' he said. 'If you pay HK$100 or HK$50, then you can get ketamine. Three to four girls each paying HK$50 can have enough. Even cocaine is becoming more popular: it cost HK$1,200 per packet before, but now it only costs around HK$500.' Ketamine is also mostly non-addictive and therefore seen as a harmless leisure activity. Peer pressure also plays a part. 'I take ketamine mostly because I wish to,' said Ng Chui-yin, an 18-year-old dealer. 'When I saw my friends were taking it, I just wanted to take it. It doesn't mean that I really need it. With a cigarette lighter and a banknote, you can take ketamine. You can still go to work or school after that, no one will spot anything wrong.' Daniel Shek Tan-lei, chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics' sub-committee on preventive education and publicity, said the fact ketamine was relatively non-addictive and didn't carry the stigma of drugs like heroin had made tackling drug abuse among young people harder. 'It is difficult to get addicted to ketamine like heroin, as there are no obvious physical symptoms. Many young people consider it part of popular culture. It has become a culture, it has complicated the job,' said Professor Shek. David Ng Ka-sun, who tackles drug abuse among young people with the Caritas Wong Yiu Nam Centre, a centre for treatment and rehabilitation, agrees with Professor Shek. 'There is no customer loyalty for ketamine, you can take it when you want it,' David Ng said. 'In the past, most drug takers had a background in the triad society that had some structure. But for ketamine takers now, it is difficult to trace them as they have no special background.' He said some try ketamine for the first time at the age of eight or nine. David Ng said most young drug users gravitated to trafficking as it was a quick and easy way to get money and drugs. 'When they need more money for drugs, they start to get involved in trafficking. Then they make more money and hire someone else to sell the drug, which saves them from being arrested. This becomes a cycle,' David Ng said. Mr Chow, the dealer, doesn't have to sell the drug himself. He gets 18-year-olds to be his 'legs'. 'Say the cost of a cocaine packet selling for HK$500 is about HK$180; we will divide the remaining money into three parts: for my boss, to me and my 'legs',' he said. However, he said those acting as 'legs' were not considered professionals because drug dealing was really just another part-time job to them. 'As the demand is increasing, everyone can deal the drug. But many of them are caught by police,' Mr Chow admitted. But dealing is also very lucrative. 'We can earn as much as HK$30,000 a month for trafficking cocaine. We can also earn HK$10,000 for trafficking ketamine. You know, for people our age, HK$10,000 is a big sum of money,' said Ng, who was forced to stop his business after being arrested and bound over until August. Having been a user and dealer since the age of 13, Ng knows about the drug trade. 'The money I can earn is tempting,' said Ng, who considers it a part-time job. 'Someone calls me and tells there are 'goods'. I call my friends to take them,' he said. He sometimes recruited 'legs' aged as young as 11 or 12. 'When we walk the streets, the police will check our identity cards. But for those aged 11 or 12 in their school uniforms, it is easy to pass a police check.' According to Ng, these young students have no fear of being caught. As ketamine supplies mostly originate from the mainland, young people can just travel across the border for the drug. A study conducted by Professor Shek last year discovered that the use of electronic home-return permits allowed adolescents to travel to Shenzhen easily for drugs, without leaving any trace on their travel documents. 'As I have told Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung, we have to pay attention to this issue,' said Professor Shek. Both Ng and Mr Chow believe it is impossible for any government campaign to stop youth drug abuse unless tougher penalties are imposed. Following a Court of Appeal judgment last month, offenders face at least two years' jail for trafficking more than a gram of ketamine or Ecstasy. For those convicted of trafficking more than a kilogram, the minimum penalty is 14 years. David Ng said a more comprehensive and prolonged approach to trafficking and drug abuse had to be considered. 'While those convicted of trafficking are sent to prison, those who are charged with possession are sent to rehabilitation centres,' he said. 'Those who are sent to Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre for a few months will do it again, with temptation around. Unless the duration is lengthened, some of them will just travel back and forth between different rehabilitation services.' However, Professor Shek believes a more holistic approach is called for. 'To tackle the youth drug problem, we have to fight against youth popular culture and its distorted beliefs,' he said. 'We are now talking about a culture in which a young person will take ketamine after she has broken up with her boyfriend, and some students with good academic results consider taking ketamine as an escape from pressure,' he said. He said that the keys to the problem were basic life skills. 'Our society is just short-sighted and functional. While everyone is talking about making quick money, how can we stop our youngsters thinking about making fast money by trafficking drugs?'