Hong Kong has never been a drug-free society. But after a number of cases of students abusing ketamine were widely reported, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen intervened personally this month to speed up the introduction of anti-drug initiatives.
Mr Tsang told the Legislative Council that the situation among young people in Hong Kong was 'much worse than expected' and announced a pilot scheme of voluntary testing at secondary schools in Tai Po, starting in September, which would then be implemented in other areas.
But now there are worries that drug-taking youngsters will be driven away from schools under the new scheme. And those who try to help young drug abusers fear the new tests will merely make it harder to do so.
The Security Bureau's narcotics division said schools had pledged not to expel students or prosecute them if they tested positive for drugs. Officials said the Tai Po trial was designed to prevent drug abuse and identify young users early.
But what if drug users just decide to skip school? Fifteen-year-old Joey Leung, a Form Four student in Tuen Mun, said that young drug takers would just stay away from school if there was a danger of being tested. 'I would not go to school; I'd just say I am sick. There are many excuses to skip school,' she said, adding that she had taken ketamine.
She said drug testing might not be an effective way to single out student drug users. 'Usually, we don't take drugs at school. We take them on the backstairs of a building or at a friend's house,' she said.