KOTA KINABALU – A new drug rehabilitation centre will be built on a 30-acre piece of land in Tawau in view of the rising number of drug abuse cases in Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor today.
Besides giving the land, the Sulaman assemblyman said he had also allotted RM746,000 for the new Pusat Pemulihan Penagihan Narkotik.
Hajiji said firm action is needed to deal with the drug abuse menace and social deviance in Sabah.
“The National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada) was given RM500,000 to carry out an integrated initiative programme to address drug addiction and social ills in high-risk areas, as well as 30 acres of land to build a new rehabilitation centre in Tawau.”
Currently, Sabah already has one drug rehabilitation centre located in Papar, which can accommodate up to 300 clients at one time.
“Universiti Malaysia Sabah was given RM246,000 to continue with its ‘Happy Family’ programme as a holistic approach to the problem of drug addiction and social deviance,” he said while chairing the Sabah Drugs Eradication Action Council’s first meeting for 2021 at the state administrative centre here.
Earlier, in his welcoming address, Hajiji said the council has identified 12 high-risk drug areas in the state.
The areas are Likas, Inanam and Penampang in Kota Kinabalu, Luagan, Patikang and Tuarid Taud in Keningau, Tanjung Batu, Merotai, Balung in Tawau, and three zones in Labuan, all of which fall under the purview of Sabah Nada.
Hajiji said that more attention will be given this year to the high-risk areas of Likas and Inanam as well as Luagan, and numerous programmes will be implemented to reduce drug abuse there.
“I want to see heightened efforts this year to tackle the menace,” he said
Also present were state Minister of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Shahelmy Yahya, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong, Federal State Secretary Datuk Zulkapli Mohamed, as well as state and federal departmental heads.
Also on hand were Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazami Ghazali, Nada deputy director-general (administration) Chan Hong Jin, and Sabah Nada director Abdul Hamediee Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, Hazami informed the council that Sabah is a transit point for drugs, especially syabu. Only 30% of the supply smuggled into the state will go into the local market.
He said the number of drug-related arrests has gone up over the years, except for 2020 due to the lockdown.
Hazami said he expects it to rise again this year as the movement control order has been relaxed. – The Vibes, April 29, 2021
