Hong Kong had 2,729 drug abusers aged under 21 in the first three quarters of this year, up 18 percent on the same period last year, said the Central Registry of Drug Abuse of Hong Kong on Friday.

Continuing the trend since the end of 2007, the total number of psychotropic substance abusers was higher than those taking heroin, says the agency.

Ketamine remained the most common type of psychotropic substance abused. The number of ketamine abusers rose 27.2 percent to 3,939. Of them, 58.9 percent were aged under 21.

Visiting the Kowloon East Substance Abuse Clinic on Friday, Commissioner for Narcotics of Hong Kong Sally Wong urged youths to stay away from drugs during the Christmas and New Year holiday. She also called for better communication between parents and their children.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2008)