Cautious approach won't solve drug abuse problem
The controversy over the proposed relocation of Zheng Sheng College - a drug rehabilitation centre - to Mui Wo remains unresolved as Lantau residents and the Heung Yee Kuk are still arguing for moving it to another location. But even if the government succeeds in finding a new home for the 120 students, this is merely a drop in the ocean when compared to the thousands of students taking drugs across Hong Kong.
According to official figures, the number of reported drug abusers aged 20 and below increased by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2008. The rise was more alarming for juveniles aged 16 and below: it was 90 per cent for the same three-year period. In 2008, the total number of reported juvenile drug abusers aged 20 and below was more than 3,000. The number of youths taking drugs could easily be many times the reported cases.
The chief executive was aware of the growing problem of youth drug abuse when he delivered his 2007 policy address. As a result, he appointed the secretary for justice to lead a high-level, inter-departmental taskforce to tackle the problem. It released a report containing some 70 recommendations at the end of last year and, last month, the government submitted a progress report to the Legislative Council about their implementation.
Progress was made in some areas, but the government continued to drag its feet on the urgent need to conduct drug testing in schools.
The original plan called for a commissioned study on the drug testing proposal in the last quarter of this year. Based on its findings, a number of schools would run pilot schemes next year before the government decided whether drug testing should be generally adopted by local schools.
It is difficult to understand this cautious approach given the increasing urgency of tackling the drug abuse problem. And it was only after the recent spate of cases involving students being caught red-handed in possession of drugs or being sent to hospital for emergency treatment that the government decided last week to conduct a voluntary trial scheme of drug testing in some schools this year.
Drug testing in schools serves two important purposes. First, it sends a clear message to students and their parents that drug abuse will not be tolerated, and abusers will be counselled and reprimanded if necessary. At the same time, it heightens the resolve of students not to buckle to peer pressure to try drugs like ketamine.
The government will consult the public by the end of the year on whether there needs to be compulsory drug testing in schools or outside. I see many issues of human rights, privacy and even practical problems with such a scheme. It would also require specific legislation. So, rather than stir up controversy over an ideal arrangement, the government should adopt voluntary schemes (with students only tested with their parents' consent) in all schools as soon as possible.
If the experience of Hong Kong's international schools is any guide, most parents and students accept voluntary drug testing. While such a scheme may not cover all students, this is no reason for not doing it.
Some suspect that the government is not pushing drug testing as a matter of urgency because the number of drug abusers it might reveal could be far higher than existing rehabilitation centres like Zheng Sheng College can handle. But the problem will not go away if we close our eyes. If anything, the Zheng Sheng case has raised community support for the rehabilitation of students.
The government should seize the opportunity and draw up a comprehensive plan for adequate treatment and rehabilitation centres. If should also start identifying premises for additional facilities in other districts. This will show Mui Wo residents that they are not the only ones who have to shoulder a social responsibility for the younger generation.
Joseph Wong Wing-ping, formerly secretary for the civil service, is an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong
