The trend of psychotropic substances and poly-drug abuse among young people is increasing, Hong Kong government's Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said here Wednesday, adding education efforts will be strengthened to call on young people to stay away from drugs.

Speaking at the International Conference on Tackling Drug Abuse, Lee said Hong Kong has been adopting a five-pronged approach - legislation and law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, preventive education and publicity, research and international cooperation - to tackle the drugs problem.

"However, as drug trends and patterns change, we will have to respond quickly on all fronts to prevent the problem from getting out of hand, and to tackle new problems such as the increasing prominence of psychotropic substances arise, and the trend of poly-drug abuse, especially among the young," he said.

Lee also noted there has been a surge in cocaine users as the price of cocaine has dropped in recent years.

He reiterated a "zero tolerance" policy has been adopted towards drug-related crimes, and Hong Kong will continue develop close co-operation with external agencies on collection and analysis of intelligence, law enforcement, judicial co-operation, experience sharing and information exchange on drug abuse and trafficking trends.

Education, the most powerful weapon in tackling drug abuse especially among young people, will also be stepped up, he added.