The Government has stepped up patrols and taken enforcement actions on the Internet due to its great concern about the problem of youth drug abuse and the trend in online drug trafficking.

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung made the remarks when addressing questions from legislator Lillian Kwok in the Legislative Council today.

He pointed out that in the past decade, there has been an overall decrease in the number of reported young drug abusers aged under 21, from 829 in 2014 to 659 in 2023.

The number of young people arrested for drug offences has also decreased from 632 to 323 over the same period.

Mr Tang said that while the situation is stable, the Government is aware of the potential hidden problem of youth drug abuse in recent years, including the global trend towards online drug dealing.

Apart from emphasising that the Internet is not beyond the law, he explained that to tackle the problem of online drug dealing, the law enforcement agencies have stepped up patrols and taken relevant enforcement actions on the Internet as relevant speeches, actions, videos or social media content may serve as evidence of an offence.

In the past five years, the number of online drug trafficking cases detected by Police increased from one in 2019 to 17 in 2023. The number of arrestees also increased from 22 to 166.

The security chief stressed that law enforcement and preventive education and publicity are equally important in combatting youth drug abuse.

He highlighted the Narcotics Division’s Healthy School Programme with a Drug Testing Component, saying its goal is to promote a drug-free school culture by enhancing students’ resolve to stay away from drugs through a wide range of personal growth activities and voluntary school drug testing.

Forty-three schools took part in the programme when it was launched in 2011. The current number of participating schools has increased to 237, accounting for nearly half of the 519 secondary schools in Hong Kong, Mr Lee added.