Illicit Drug use in the Asia Pacific Region - Burnet Institute

Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in the Asia–Pacific region
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The major ethnicity among drug users was
Chinese (95 .1%) . The majority of drug users
in the 2003 drug user registry were reported
to have prior convictions (75 .7%), many with
drug-related and other offences (Narcotics
Division, 2004a) . Among female drug users,
peer and partner influence contributed to
initiation into drug use, and for users of
ketamine and heroin drug use was viewed as a
potential escape from pressures and boredom
related to school and family life (Narcotics
Division, 2004d) . In 2003, heroin was still the
drug of choice (74 .5%) but there has been
a decline in its popularity — in 1998 the
equivalent figure was 86 .3 per cent . Heroin
users spend a daily average of HK$224 with
a range of HK$100–300 . Hong Kong has
witnessed a rise in the use of psychotropic
substances over the decade with ketamine,
triazolam/midazolam, cannabis, ‘ecstasy’ and
methamphetamine commonly used (Ahmad
Khabir, 2002; Narcotics Division, 2004c) .
Among young drug users under 21 years old,
the common drugs used in 2003 were
ketamine (62 .5%), ecstasy (34 .1%), cannabis
(28 .4%), cough medicine (7 .9%) and heroin
(7 .7%) . The proportion of poly-drug use has
been on the increase: 6 .6 per cent in 1995
to 20 .9 per cent in 2003 (Narcotics Division,
2004a, 2004c) . The use of tranquillisers
is widespread among drug users; among
heroin users, they are commonly consumed
to prolong the effects of the narcotics and
to ease withdrawal symptoms . One such
tranquilliser, which contains nimetazepam,
with the proprietary name of ‘Ermin 5’,
appeared on the market in 2003 (Narcotics
Division, 2004a) .
Data collection systems in place
Information about drug use and drug use
trends is collated by the Central Registry of
Drug Abuse (CRDA), which was established
by the Narcotics Division of the Government
Secretariat in 1972 . Information is sent to
the CRDA from as many as 34 agencies which
include law enforcement, treatment agencies,
welfare organisations, hospitals and clinics
throughout Hong Kong . The primary function
of the CRDA is to identify trends in drug use
characteristics including type of drug consumed,
the age when first started, reasons
for drug use . Information is also collected
about socio-economic characteristics, such
as age, sex, educational achievement and
employment status . Reporting agencies are
requested to complete a record sheet on a
voluntary basis whenever contact is made
with known or suspected drug users . Reports
are published on a regular basis . Information
is handled with strict confidence and
is available only to those directly involved
with CRDA operations . Only in compelling
circumstances are the records not immune
from search and production in court . This
level of confidentiality reportedly alleviates
fears among drug users from seeking treatment
and encourages the various agencies
involved to cooperate (Narcotics Division,
2004c) . In addition to CRDA, there have been
school surveys conducted every two to three
years since the late 1980s . The early surveys
were conducted by the Narcotics Division; the
last two to three surveys were commissioned
to research teams of market research firms or
academic groups in universities (Y . Cheung,
personal communication, 2005) .
A4 .3 Drug supply, production,
availability, cost and trade
Hong Kong’s role as a transit and transhipment
point for large consignments of drugs
from Southeast Asia to the international
market has diminished considerably over the
years, largely as a result of its law enforcement
efforts and because of alternative drug
trafficking routes through southern China .
Heroin smuggled into Hong Kong is reported
now to be mainly for the local market . Much
of the heroin entering Hong Kong originates
from the Golden Triangle, often transported
through the provinces of Yunnan and
Guangxi, with some drugs making their way
towards Guangdong Province, where they
are commonly stockpiled . There are syndicates
in Guandong Province that purchase
a portion of the drugs to supply the Hong
Kong market . Methamphetamines are similarly
transported to Hong Kong following
the same route as the heroin trade .
The heavy traffic volume and number of
people crossing the land boundary between
Guangdong and Hong Kong have produced
many difficulties for law enforcement
agencies (Narcotics Division, 2004c; United
States Department of State, Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs, 2003, 2004a) . Bulky drugs such as
cannabis (often transported from the Golden
Triangle or Cambodia) are more likely to use
sea routes, utilising the extensive maritime
traffic in the waters surrounding Hong
Kong (Narcotics Division, 2004c; United
States Department of State, Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs, 2003, 2004a) . Air transport is the
favoured route for the smuggling of drugs
from distant countries such as ecstasy from
Europe and cocaine from South America .
In 2004 there was a growth in the supply
of cocaine in Hong Kong where the street
value of the drug halved over 12 months
(Narcotics Division, 2004c; China Post,
2004a) . It is generally acknowledged that
Hong Kong is not a producer of illicit drugs
(United States Department of State, Bureau
for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs, 2004a) .
In 2003, a typical wholesale price for heroin
was HK$256 .638 per kilogram . In 2002, a
typical street price for heroin per gram was
HK$420, rising by about an extra HK$5 in
2003 . The purity of the heroin available in
2003 increased to an average of 59 per cent
compared to 41 .5 per cent in 2002 . An
average wholesale price for ketamine in 2003
was HK$57,125 per kilogram while a typical
retail price was HK$194 per gram . There has
been a decrease in price for ecstasy from
HK$90 in 2002 to an average of HK$85 per
tablet in 2003 . Cannabis commonly retailed
for HK$58 per gram in 2003, a drop from
HK$67 in 2002 . In 2003, the wholesale price
of cannabis was HK$16 .083 per kilogram .
One gram of methamphetamine commonly
retailed for HK$374 in 2003, while a kilogram
averaged HK$54,458 . The retail price of
cocaine in 2003 was on average HK$1,152
per gram but as previously reported this price
appears to have fallen substantially in 2004
(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
2004b; United States Department of State,
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs, 2004a) .
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Country profiles: Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region, China)