In March, a 25-year-old woman from a wealthy family jumped from her 40th floor apartment in Kowloon Tong after her father reported to the police that she was taking drugs.

The father found some white residue on his daughter's nose when she came home one night. He suspected she had been taking drugs. He called the police. The young woman was arrested and held overnight at the police station. In the morning, when she returned home, she leapt to her death.

An increasing number of serious drug offenses have been reported by family members, according to the consultation paper on "Rescue" scheme. The number of cases jumped from 27 in 2010 to 78 in 2012.

Although some parents see calling police as a last resort to save their children, social workers warn calling the cops may contribute to lifelong broken relationships.

Patrick Ho Hin-ming, service director for drug rehabilitation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service-Hong Kong, suggested family members contact social workers first if the addiction history is not long entrenched.

"There are other alternatives for family members to choose from but for serious and extreme cases in which addicts are violent or having hallucinations, maybe calling the police is the best option."

(HK Edition 11/15/2013 page2)