Central Registry of Drug Abuse

Abstract

The reorganized Central Registry of Drug Abuse, which began operation on September 1, 1976, serves as an invaluable monitoring device to identify at regular intervals any changes in trends and characteristics which may herald significant changes in the drug abuse patterns in Hong Kong. This marks a major advance in Hong Kong's efforts to improve the data base on which realistic antinarcotics policies could be formulated. Over the years, the Registry has attracted a great deal of interest, not only local but international as well. This article gives a summary of its background, operation, and findings.