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Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, today (March 31) said the Government would launch a large-scale territory-wide campaign in June to mobilise the whole community in the fight against youth drug abuse.
Speaking at a luncheon seminar organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Mr Lee said the campaign would start in late June to tie in with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. A series of publicity and preventive education activities will be held afterwards.
He said that to implement new anti-drug strategies, the Action Committee Against Narcotics and the Government would strengthen work on preventive education. Various publicity activities would start after the launch of the campaign and continue well into 2010. These would include a new series of TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs), posters, an anti-drug theme song, leaflets and booklets.
District Councils, District Fight Crime Committees and district organisations will organise district-level anti-drug activities. The Government will appeal to various sectors to support the campaign and seek collaboration with community and professional organisations, private corporations and non-governmental organisations to organise different preventive education and publicity programmes. These bodies may also make use of their own networks and resources to help young people stay away from drugs and lead a healthy life.
Mr Lee said the Task Force on Youth Drug Abuse led by the Secretary for Justice would spearhead cross-bureau and inter-department efforts and enhance collaboration with different sectors of the community to combat the youth drug abuse problem.
The task force has conducted an in-depth examination of the issues involved in the past few months and devised a series of initial measures for implementation in the short to medium term, covering law enforcement, preventive education, treatment and rehabilitation, and research. Additional resources amounting to $53 million have been earmarked in the 2008-09 Budget for these measures.
Mr Lee said: "I hope all sectors can join to fight drugs. It is a challenging job. The campaign to be launched in June is only the beginning of an enduring war on drug. We must continue to join forces with all quarters and mobilise the whole community to foster a drug-free culture."
Ends/Monday, March 31, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:47
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