Study | Number of young people taking drugs on the rise

The percentage of young people currently taking drugs in Macau has been increasing, according to a 2014 study commissioned by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) for the University of Macau (UM). A total of 2.48 percent out of a sample of young people claimed that they have taken drugs, while the 2010 study showed a slightly different ratio, as 1.88 percent of young people said they had taken drugs, UM professor Li De explained at a press conference yesterday.
IAS commissioned a study for UM’s Social Service department to learn more about substance abuse among Macau’s youth. Researchers interviewed a total of 9,837 young people last year. In 2010, 7,112 people were interviewed.
Professor Li, who also serves as the director of UM’s Sociology department, said that they needed a larger sample as Macau’s population has grown significantly since the previous survey was undertaken.
Researchers concluded that the number of young people taking drugs has increased since 2010. They also determined that the most common drugs that young people have allegedly consumed are: marijuana (113 people), ketamine (76), ‘ice’ (71), pills (66), ecstasy (57), heroin (54) and ‘happy water’ (47).
When compared to the 2010 study, researchers also found that there has been an increase in the number of students taking marijuana and pills. On the other hand, they have recorded a decrease in the number of people taking ketamine and heroine.
Furthermore, drug abuse among students enrolled in the 5th grade and above has been recorded as having increased. There was also a significant increase in the number of girls taking drugs.  The percentage of students using drugs in non-Chinese schools is higher than in Chinese schools.
The deputy head of IAS’ department for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse, Hoi Va Pou, hinted that this increase is often linked to the teenagers’ family background. She added that the lack of parental guidance could negatively influence young people’s decisions. Furthermore, she stressed that IAS is promoting and improving drug risk awareness through activities.
UM’s study provided a series of recommendations, including reinforcing discipline and supervision; reducing the time young people spend alone; and conducting awareness raising campaigns targeting specific drugs such as ketamine and marijuana.
At yesterday’s press conference, IAS also presented a study it had commissioned for The Sheng Kung Hui Social Services Coordination Office, this time focusing on drug consumption among after-school drifters. The study focused on teenagers who typically socialise together either in the city’s streets or at game arcades.
Researchers interviewed over 260 people but only 251 questionnaires were considered valid. Out of the 251 surveyed, 47 people (18.7 percent) admitted to having taken drugs, representing a slight decrease when compared to a similar study conducted in 2006, in which 20.8 percent conceded that they had taken drugs.
The study shows that ketamine, ‘ice’ and ecstasy are the most common drugs taken by after-school drifters. The majority of those interviewed (53.2 percent) said that they had taken drugs out of curiosity or to keep friends company (51.1 percent).

schoolboy caught selling drugs for daily pay of hkd160

An 18-year-old middle school student was arrested by the Judiciary Police this week for selling drugs to a local businessman, who was also detained for the act. The suspect was employed by a syndicate from Hong Kong for a daily salary of HKD160. According to the police authorities, an unknown man had approached the schoolboy at a nightclub and convinced him to take the job, which the man claimed would be “short and lucrative.” The student started dealing drugs from then on, and admitted that two deals had been made already. The case has also been forwarded to the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau.