Beat Drugs Fund approved a 7.67million Hong Kong dollars (nearly 1 million US dollars) allocation for 20 anti-drug projects in the 2005-06 funding exercise, according to a news release of the Hong Kong government Website on Wednesday.

Of the 20 projects approved this year, 12 are related to preventive education and publicity (476.7 million HK dollars), three to treatment and rehabilitation (678,380 HK dollars), one to research (120,000 HK dollars), and four to mixed-type projects (2,103,364 HK dollars).

For the 2005/06 funding exercise, 20 projects out of a total of 53 applications have been approved. One treatment and rehabilitation-related project aims to provide a reintegration service to female rehabilitated drug abusers while another research project is a study on acupuncture therapy in the treatment of heroin dependence.

The mixed-type projects, preventive education and publicity-related projects cover activities targeting high-risk youths, parents, teachers, youth workers as well as families with children with disabilities, single parents and new arrivals. Two projects aim to enhance anti-drug awareness specifically in ethnic minority groups. (One US dollars equal to 7.78 HK dollars). 

Editor: Olivia