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"A law should be passed to make parents responsible for their teenage children's drug abuse behaviour."
This bold assertion is not a policy statement issued by the Narcotics Division, but the topic of the grand final of the Inter-School English Debating Competition - Hong Kong and Macau. Amid cheers from an enthusiastic audience, this subject was thoroughly debated by the two finalist teams - Heep Yunn School and St Joseph's College, with Heep Yunn School being the champion of this intense competition.
Heep Yunn School beat 42 local and Macau secondary schools and won a cash award of $10,000 and a trip to the United States. They will attend the Lions Clubs International Convention, visit Harvard University and Boston Police Bureau, and have another round of debate with a local team.
Organised by the Youth Outreaching and Drug Awareness Committee of Lions Clubs International District 303, Hong Kong and Macau, China, with support from the Narcotics Division, Security Bureau and the Harvard Club of Hong Kong, the competition aimed to raise awareness among young people, as well as the general public, about the harmful effects of drugs and ways to curb their abuse.
The judging panel comprised Deputy Solicitor-General, Mr Stephen Wong Kai-yi; Professor Cheung Yuet-wah of the Department of Sociology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Past District Governor of Lions Clubs International D303, Dr Richard Tan; Representative of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong, Mr Cheung Leong; and the Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics Sub-committee on Treatment and Rehabilitation, Dr Lam Kui-chun.
Addressing the prize presentation ceremony, Commissioner for Narcotics Mrs Rosanna Ure said today (May 18) that the Government attached great importance to involving young people in anti-drug work.
"Their participation helps build community responsibility in preventing drug use and raising awareness of the threats posed by drugs to young people.
"However, young people are not just passive recipients of knowledge about drugs. As this debate shows, the active involvement of students in preparing for this debate has no doubt enhanced the participants' knowledge of drugs," Mrs Ure said.
She hoped students would make good use of the knowledge and share it with their friends and families. She also felt that their influence, especially among peers, could be very powerful. They could use that influence to steer their friends and themselves away from drugs.
"Peer influence is often quoted by young drug abusers as the prime reason they try drugs. But peer influence can also be a positive force."
Mrs Ure urged students to use that power by telling their fellow students how drugs could ruin lives, and by teaching them how to refuse if offered drugs.
She commended Lions Clubs International, in particular the Youth Outreach and Drug Awareness Committee, for organising many anti-drug educational programmes.
"Education is the most powerful weapon against drug abuse. The more we educate youngsters about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the damage drug abuse brings to our bodies, the more we will be able to curb this social problem," Mrs Ure said.
"A drug-free Hong Kong is our vision. But this can only be achieved with the concerted efforts of everyone in the society."
Ends/Thursday, May 18, 2006
Issued at HKT 22:33
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