The South China Morning Post
- Higher supply, lower prices helped cocaine gain popularity as city dropped Covid-19 restrictions in 2023
- Half of known abusers under 21 and most of 3,406 people arrested for drugs last year used cocaine
Cocaine replaced cannabis as the drug of choice among young substance abusers in Hong Kong last year, according to the Action Committee Against Narcotics, with an expert warning about the prevalence of hidden sufferers in the community.
Michael Leung Siu-kei, the unit in charge of the Youth Crime Prevention Centre under the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group, said the reality of the scale of the drug abuse problem among youngsters might not be reflected in official numbers.
“The drug problem among Hong Kong’s youth cannot be ignored, as there are still some hidden drug-using individuals who have not been identified, so cross-sector cooperation and efforts are still necessary to provide appropriate support to the youth in need,” he said.
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