By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG, July 6 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's top narcotics buster said on Friday psychotropic drugs, such as ketamine, were the leading concern in the city even though international agencies did not think so.

Sally Wong, commissioner of the Security Bureau's Narcotics Division, said the World Health Organisation suggested during a U.N. meeting on narcotics control in March that ketamine was not a major concern.

"It said ketamine's level of harm (was) not well established and its level of abuse (was) not prevalent," Wong said in an interview.

"But we take a different view. It's our number one concern," she said, adding that abuse of the psychotropic drug was also high in southeast Asia, China, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Outside of Asia, ice, heroin and cannabis usually lead the list of illicit drugs.

Abuse of psychotropic drugs has skyrocketed in Hong Kong in recent years, especially among the young.

There were 2,497 known abusers under the age of 21 in 2006, up from 1,281 in 1997. Of the array of these dangerous drugs, ketamine, an anaesthetic for animals, is most popular. From just 14 known ketamine abusers under the age of 21 in 1999, there were 1,845 in 2006.

"Usage of drugs among young people has gone up, especially in the last three years, and we're very worried," Wong said.

"Drug abuse is happening in karaoke lounges, friends' homes, parks, public toilets, and even schools. Schools are places we regard as clean, safe, so for it to happen in schools, we are really concerned."

Wong also urged the media to refrain from describing psychotropic drugs as "party" or "soft" drugs as they gave young, impressionable people the misconception that these substances were harmless.

Although abuse of psychotropic drugs is usually linked to problems like memory loss and depression, doctors in Hong Kong recently released a scientific report detailing bladder and kidney dysfunction in at least 10 ketamine addicts. That number has since grown to 30.

Among the symptoms, the addicts' bladders were able to hold the equivalent of only two tablespoons of urine and they needed to urinate every 15 minutes.

Hong Kong's law enforcers have dealt harshly with the drug problem and there have been countless raids on discotheques and bars in recent months. Operators of nightspots found with drugs have been denied requests to renew their liquor licences, effectively putting them out of business.

But that resolve has been frustrated somewhat by widely available, and cheaper, drugs just across the border in southern China.

"Now, the trend is Hong Kong people going up north for work, leisure, travel and family visits. The bulk of traffic is increasing, so it is no surprise if people are going there for drugs," Wong said.

"It's part of the challenge (in tackling the drug problem). Police and customs have close cooperation with the mainland. They exchange information and have joint operations."

A trilateral meeting involving authorities in China's southern Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau will take place next week in Hong Kong, where all three parties will share information and discuss strategies on how best to tackle the problem, she said.

AlertNet news is provided by