PUTRAJAYA – The Home Ministry and the National Anti-Drug Agency have been given three months to coordinate efforts to devise effective initiatives or programmes to curb drug problems, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He also stated that several related agencies must work together to develop and implement effective initiatives or programmes in order to more effectively combat drug problems.
In a statement issued after chairing the cabinet committee meeting on drug eradication here today, Zahid expressed concern about drug abuse activities, noting that the estimated number of drug addicts currently stands at 1,097,408.
Of that number, he said that 1,051,712 addicts were men and 45,696 were women, while 328,640 of them were aged 15 to 29.
“The findings of a study, conducted by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2020, show that for every 100 youths in this country, six people admitted to having taken drugs, while four people admitted to still actively taking drugs during the study period,” he said.
According to Zahid, today’s meeting will be a game changer for drug problems, involving all relevant ministries, agencies, and non-governmental organisations.
He said the meeting also agreed to ensure that legal empowerment is strengthened to prevent drug abuse at all levels.
“The effectiveness of law enforcement in the country will also be studied in detail to address drug abuse comprehensively.
He said that effectiveness or success will not be based on the number of addicts rehabilitated, but on the number of arrests or the reduction of the number of addicts in the country as a whole. – Bernama, July 10, 2023
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