SYNDICATES TARGETING SCHOOL KIDS
Groups aiming to build young customer base, says Nur Jazlan
DRUG syndicates are targeting school children to build up their base of potential customers, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
Nur Jazlan, who is also the Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) president, said these syndicates also lured schoolchildren in hopes of establishing a long-term drug consumer market.
“It is a worrying situation since children as young as 10 in Malaysia have fallen victim to drugs.
“Drugs, including synthetic ones, can cause serious harm to the mind and body. Research by the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) showed that it would take seven years for the brain to recover if one consumed drugs continuously for seven weeks.
“And the brain would only see a 70 per cent recovery rate following rehabilitation. It cannot return to its normal state. This is more severe in children as their brains are still developing.
“It is crucial that we nip drug abuse in the bud before it becomes rampant and uncontrollable, especially among students,” he said after chairing a meeting with state Pemadam and AADK officials here on Tuesday.
Synthetic drugs are products containing chemical substances artificially developed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs like cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine.
They come in the form of powder, pills and dried herbs soaked in synthetic chemicals.
Jazlan said drug abuse remained a problem nationwide, but Selangor topped the list due to its high population, especially in lowcost flats in the Klang Valley.
He also said the focus was now on school dropouts, besides those in universities, primary and secondary schools.
“Drug abuse surrounding school dropouts is an issue that we have not fully addressed because we do not have the data for people affected by this phenomenon.
“We were also discussing the religious school fire that killed 23 people last month, where the teenagers nabbed tested positive for drugs. These are the vulnerable groups.
“Urbanised areas in the Klang Valley, for instance, have a very high incidence of school dropouts and truancy.
“We need to first identify the groups involved (either school dropouts or those who have not attended school), and how many people are affected by this.”