Amp up fight against drugs
THIRTY-FOUR years have passed since Malaysia declared war on drugs in 1983.
Unfortunately, it is still Malaysia’s number one enemy.
The very fact that new drugs have been introduced shows that drug manufacturers and syndicates are now securing new markets, especially among the young generation.
Children as young as seven were found to be hooked on drugs after they were initially given free drug-laced sweets. When the children eventually became addicted, they were not only made to pay for the drugs but also turned into pushers for their peers.
The Government has also cautioned that the spread of synthetic drugs can make users behave like “zombies”. It has been reported that the new psychoactive substances can produce more dangerous hallucinations with those consuming them becoming extraordinarily active, aggressive and crazy.
It seems that we are not winning the war since the drug syndicates are always ahead of us.
National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada) records show that more and more students in the primary and secondary schools as well as at institutions of higher learning are on drugs.
Overall, the number of drug addiction cases in Malaysia has increased by 14% to 30,844 in 2016, compared to 26,668 in 2015. In 2016, a total of 826 or 2.7% of those arrested were below 19 years old while another 22,709 or 73.6% were between 19 and 39 years old.
According to the Education Ministry, methamphetamine was the drug most used by students here based on statistics from early this year until July 31. Of the 1,410 students who were arrested for taking drugs within that period, 75.68% (1,067) took methamphetamine, followed by cannabis (16.73%), opium (5.17%), amphetamine (2.23%) and ketamine (0.19%).
The ministry recently identified 402 schools for being hotspots for disciplinary and drugs problems and therefore, prevention programmes must involve the police, parent-teacher associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
We need a holistic approach to tackle the drug menace including intensifying intelligence gathering like how the Special Branch team is operating when tackling other crimes.
The Government’s suggestion that Nada reviews the enforcement and rehabilitation aspects should be supported by all parties since drug-fighting efforts in the country have yet to succeed although the National Drugs Policy has been changed from time to time.
Enforcement agencies must strengthen their cooperation and work with dedication and integrity so that there is no room and opportunity for corruption and abuse of power, which has been declared as the country’s “No 1” enemy by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission.
At the same time, parents should always monitor their children’s activities since many of them were “surprised” when their children are involved in drugs.
Teachers must be alert and intervene should they notice that their students are involved in or using illegal substance.
Workers who are on drugs such as machine operators, bus drivers, lorry drivers and others can be harmful to themselves or other people as they could cause injury or death at their workplaces or while commuting to work.
Community-based associations must implement community-wide programmes to create awareness on the dangers of drug addiction and consequences of drug trade and trafficking. Prevention starts from awareness.
The time has come for each and every one of us to play our role to help free Malaysia of drugs using an innovative and holistic approach. TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE Senior vice-chairman Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation