Less drug use recorded in the first half of the year

Judiciary Police agents show apprehended drugs

A  total of 374 Macau residents were caught consuming drugs in the first half of this year, eight of whom are under the age of 21, the Narcotics Control Committee announced yesterday after its second plenary meeting of 2016.

According to the committee, the number of drug users decreased 4.6 percent year- on-year, and, most noticeably, drug users under the age of 21 saw a 43.8 percent drop compared to the same period of last year.

The youngest user is 16 years old, while the oldest one is 70 years old. About 18 percent of drug users are women, a slight increase compared to last year’s 16.3 percent. Thirty-five percent of drug users took methamphetamine, and 26.1 percent have reported that they have used heroin.

On average, they each spent MOP7,489 on drugs every month, which is a 3.8 percent decrease compared to 2015.

Around 67 percent used drugs in Macau, while 30.2 percent used them in mainland China. Among the youth, only 10 percent used drugs in mainland China.

Most drug users took drugs at home, and 21.7 percent took them at their friends’ homes.

As for the reasons behind the drug usage, 30.8 percent said that they used drugs after being influenced by their friends and 26.2 percent said they had sought to relieve pressure.

Almost 90 percent are from Chinese ethnicity, and 47.1 percent are single.

The committee discussed recent issues regarding the restrictions preventing minors from leaving Macau by themselves.

In relation to the aforementioned restriction, the head of the Department of Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling and Drug Dependence of the Social Welfare Bureau, Hoi Va Pou, stated that the committee considered that the amendment of the related law will account for public opinion, and that detailed plans will only be announced when the government and the public reach a consensus.

Hoi also stated that amendments involving the city’s laws regulating drug-related issues will be discussed at the Legislative Assembly (AL) soon.

Once the amendment is passed in the AL, drug dealers, when caught, will be sentenced to jail for a minimum of five years, two more than the current three-year incarceration period. Drug users will face a maximum of one year in jail, compared to the current maximum sentence of three months.

During the meeting, the committee also arranged its schedules for next year.

In 2017, it will assign commissioners to inspect Macau’s anti-drug service and facilities, visiting Guangdong to exchange experiences of these matters, as well as to organize their attendance of drug abuse prevention seminars in Hong Kong.