2013-06-25      Illegal drugs in Hong Kong

According to a Hong Kong Government website (http://www.nd.gov.hk/statistics_list/doc/en/t22.pdf)
there are in the territory about 11,000 illegal drug users, comprising 10,163 local Chinese and 745 non-Chinese.
These are the official figures. The real figures are much higher, totalling maybe 200,000 (according to one social worker).

The figure of 200,000 includes not only long-term drug addicts but also young people who use drugs at night clubs and in private homes. Many addicts target young people in order to get money to buy drugs for themselves. It's not uncommon to see addicts waiting outside schools looking for new clients.

It is also not uncommon to see "sellers" doing their trade in the vicinity of many of Hong Kong's 20 methadone clinics.
One night outside the Yau Ma Tei clinic, in the space of about 30 minutes, I saw more than 20 people openly buying drugs.
Most times I walk through Temple Street Park I notice people buying drugs.

In some countries, like Mexico, governments are losing the fight against drug dealers. In Hong Kong the government is to be commended for its fight against drug dealers. With the approach of the summer holidays, when many young people "get into trouble", may the whole community show increasing concern about the drug problem.