Compulsory drug tests violate basic human rights, doctors' group says
Medical Association says allowing police to order suspects to take tests would violate human rights and do little for addicts
A government plan to make it easier for police to test people for drug use is flawed and a violation of basic human rights, the Medical Association says.
The proposed drug-testing scheme, titled Rescue, would give police the power to test anyone on the street for drugs based on "reasonable suspicion" related to their behaviour and the presence of drugs nearby. A four-month consultation on the plan was launched in September.
At present, police can only test when drugs are found on a suspect.
But the association slammed the consultation paper for failing to offer evidence that the scheme would be effective in providing early identification and treatment for substance abusers.
"Even doctors have a hard time determining whether a person is under the influence of illegal drugs and not alcohol or prescription medicines, let alone a police officer," said association president Dr Tse Hung-hing. "Ordinary citizens would be subject to a lot of inconvenience."
He added: "A scheme which forces a person to provide evidence is against common law and is an intrusion of basic human rights." He said that while it was impossible to eliminate drug abuse, motivational counselling was the best way to reduce it.
Dr Cheng Chi-man, chairman of the association's beat drugs action committee and an expert in youth drug abuse, said forcing people to undergo drug tests would not solve the issue as 80 per cent of drug abusers were "hidden" abusers - who took drugs discretely, often at home.
