The Action Committee Against Narcotics today issued a
consultation paper on the RESCUE Drug Testing Scheme, which proposes to enable law enforcement officers to require a person to undergo drug testing when there are reasonable grounds.
Speaking at a press conference today, committee chairman Prof Daniel Shek said a person who is identified as having taken drugs will then be referred to counselling and treatment programmes.
He said the scheme's purpose was not for prosecution, but to identify drug abusers early.
He said in 2012, half of the newly reported drug abusers had abused drugs for more than four years, and the figure had more than doubled compared to that of 2008.
Speaking to the media after the Fight Crime Committee meeting, Secretary for Security TK Lai said the Government openly welcomes public views on the drug testing scheme.
The testing process will be video-recorded, and will be conducted in a fair and reasonable manner, he said.
The public consultation will last for four months.
Views can be
emailed to the secretariat by January 24.
At its quarterly meeting today, the committee also reviewed the local drug situation in the first half of 2013.
The total number of reported drug abusers in the first half of 2013 fell 10% when compared to the same period last year, while there was a 29% decline in the number of reported young drug abusers aged under 21.
Heroin remained the most popular drug abused, and ketamine continued to be the most popular type of psychotropic substance abused among all reported abusers.
