Other - Schoolgirl collapses after suspected drug overdose

[enquirewithin]

A Secondary One schoolgirl was rushed to hospital yesterday after collapsing on the rooftop of a Tuen Mun car park following a suspected ketamine overdose.

It was the fourth incident of apparent teenage drug abuse in a month.The 16-year-old student was with two other schoolgirls when she collapsed in the Lung Mun Oasis car park.

She was wearing the uniform of the Ju Ching Chu Secondary School in Tuen Mun. The girl's parents came from Vietnam but she was born in Hong Kong. Her father is a construction worker and her mother a housewife. Her 20-year-old sibling said she could not believe the drug claim as her sister is normally well-behaved. According to a Mrs Cheung, a resident of the housing estate, the three girls were chatting with a man in the car park around 2pm.

The 16-year-old complained of a headache and then sweated and vomited before falling unconscious. Her boyfriend, who was called to the scene, and the other two girls tried to awaken her but in vain.The police arrived after the two girls had fled, leaving the girl and her boyfriend on the rooftop. She regained consciousness after ambulance staff performed first aid and was in hospital last night under observation.

School principal Hong Chi-keung expressed shock, saying it was the first time any student of the school had been involved in alleged drug abuse.
The girl's academic and discipline grades are average though teachers say her attitude in school is good.Hong said the school has held anti- drug forums and students had been warned about the danger of drugs. In addition, teachers often patrol the neighborhood during lunch breaks. However, a student of the school doubted the effectiveness of the talks. "They [drug users] may have become addicted to the drugs and have not yet felt the danger. They may consider the talks to be just a threat or an exaggeration," the male student said.

An Education Bureau spokesman said it is very concerned about the matter and will liaise closely with the school.

Thursday, June 18, 2009 Nickkita Lau and Bonnie Chen

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...sear_year=2009