Puspen director: Most addicts in the state hooked on Syabu

KUCHING: Methamphetamine, or better known as Syabu, remains the drug of choice among addicts in the state.

Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Centre ( Puspen) Kuching director Iskandar Turkee said most of the patients who are currently being treated at the Puspen detention centre as well as at the Cure and Care Rehabilitation Centre ( CCRC) here were hooked on Syabu.

He said of the 76 patients who are now being detained and rehabilitated at Puspen, 70 were on Syabu.

“We also have 55 patients who have voluntarily come to seek treatment at CCRC and, of the total number, 37 of them were taking Syabu,” he told reporters during a visit by Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah to CCRC here yesterday

Iskandar said other drugs quite popularly abused in the state are amphetamine, cannabis, ketamine and Nospan pills.

Statistics also showed that there was a drastic increase in the number of drug addict admissions in Puspen as well as CCRC.

Iskandar said some 76 new admissions were recorded at Puspen between January and June 5 this year compared with 133 admissions for the whole of last year.

On voluntary admissions, he said the number of patients who offered themselves to CCRC was also increasing, with 55 admissions between January and June 5 this year compared with 105 for the whole of 2016.

“In a negative way, there is a drastic increase in new admission, but in a positive way, many had come forward to receive treatment.

“At least it shows there is a treatment available for our clients and we are hoping that more members of the public who face this type of problem will voluntarily come to the CCRC,” he said.

Iskandar assured that those who come voluntarily to seek treatment at CCRC would not be recorded as having committed a crime.

He also pointed out that most of Puspen and CCRC’s clients are from Kuching, of which 54 are being rehabilitated at Puspen and 19 in CCRC.

He said based on interviews with their clients, peer influence, experimental usage, pressure, and work were among the factors which contributed to drug abuse in the state.