§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the level of drug addiction in Hong Kong compares with figures for other Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Burma and Thailand.
§ Mr. LuardThe exact number of drug addicts in Hong Kong is not known, but has been estimated at between 80,000 and 100,000. The number of drug addicts in certain nearby countries has been estimated as follows:
Thailand 500,000 Malaysia 150,000 Laos 50,000 Singapore 18,000 Burma (officially registered) 12,000 Similar figures are not immediately available for Korea, Japan and the Philippines. The number of persons prosecuted for drug offences in Japan in 1975 was about 10,000.
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§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimate of the number of drug addicts in Hong Kong in 1974, 1975 and 1976; and if the trend to addiction is greatest or less than in earlier years.
§ Mr. LuardAs I have said in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, the number of drug addicts in Hong Kong has been estimated at between 80,000 and 100,000. It would not be realistic to provide estimates of annual variations within this figure during the past three years. There is no evidence to suggest that the number of drug addicts in Hong Kong is increasing. In fact, there is encouraging evidence that the proportion of young persons taking dangerous drugs has been decreasing. Thus, the proportion of inmates under the age of 21 in the Prisons Department's drug addiction treatment centres has dropped from 25 per cent. in 1969 to 9 per cent. in 1976, the proportion of male patients under the age of 19 admitted for voluntary treatment by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts has declined from 13 per cent. in 1969 to 4 per cent. in 1976, and the number of persons under the age of 21 currently registered at the Medical and Health Department's methadone maintenance and detoxification clinics represents only 2.5 per cent. of all those registered.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost to the Government of Hong Kong of treatment of drug addicts.
§ Mr. LuardThe Hong Kong Government are currently spending approximately $HK 27 million—about £3.5 million—annually for the treatment of drug addicts.