While Hong Kong offers a relatively safe environment
for teens, they are not free from the risks of substance
abuse, writes
Dr Kate Threlfall
.
Y
our teen arrives home the
morning after a sleepover
with friends. Her eyes are
bloodshot and you fear it
might be a tough day ahead as you
know how cranky she can be after a
poor night of sleep. Have you ever
wondered if there was more going on
the night before than popcorn and
movies into the wee hours? Do you
worry that your sweetheart is dabbling
with drugs when she is away from your
watchful eye?
Who’s taking what?
The likelihood is that before your
teen reaches university, he or she
will have been exposed to a variety
of controlled substances. The Hong
Kong government keeps statistics
on newly and previously reported
drug abusers under age 21 for a wide
range of substances, from pot and
E (MDMA/ecstasy) to ketamine,
methamphetamine and cocaine.
It has been suggested that coke
is making a bit of a comeback in
Hong Kong as the price has recently
dropped. Rumours aside, the
government statistics tell a different
story. In fact, reported new abusers
of cocaine under age 21 are down
more than 50 per cent for the first
half of 2014 (compared with the first
half of 2013). Also promising is that
the number of new young abusers
(1,591 reported abusers aged under
21 in 2012) across all substances was
down a marked 54 per cent over 2008
numbers.
What do these numbers mean?
First, we need to look at who meets
the criteria for a “new abuser” in
the study. Drug abuse was defined
as the “taking of substance which
harms or threatens to harm the
physical, mental or social well-being
of an individual, in doses above or
for periods beyond those normally
regarded as therapeutic”. These
numbers do not include alcohol or
tobacco abuse. Also, there are new
designer drugs entering the market
that likely aren’t captured in these
numbers, including new psychoactive
substances. Sold under names such
as “spice” (which mimics cannabis),
Wast e
d
y
o
ut h
?
December 2014
75
