KUALA LUMPUR: Combating the drugs menace is a subject close to the hearts of Malaysians, evidenced from aspirations gathered during the National Transformation 50 (TN50) sessions.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Masir Kujat told Dewan Rakyat today that many expressed an interest in this area, based on the preliminary findings of the TN50 security cluster conducted by the Home Ministry.
He said that four per cent of the 5,000 respondents showed an interest on the matter.
“To ensure that our plans with TN50 are conducted comprehensively, the Home Ministry, through the National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA), has drafted a strategic plan for the implementation of the National Drugs Policy," he said.
He said the policy has five major thrusts, namely prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, enforcement, international cooperation and mitigation.
Masir was responding to a question by Datuk Ahmad Lai Bujang (BN-Sibuti) who had asked the ministry to state the government's policy on combating the menace after the 2015 Drug-Free Malaysia target by the government.
He also touched on drug eradication measures poised to be included in the TN50 policy document.
Masir added that a communication plan has been drafted to ensure that clear information is delivered to agencies involved to help them understand their roles and responsibilities in the war against drugs.
“Various educational programmes for the community are also held by NADA and non-governmental organisations on the danger of drugs. The programme also includes integration modules at schools and institutions of higher learning," he said, adding that a total of 702,319 people were arrested for drug offenses from 2014 to Oct this year.
Additional reporting by FERNANDO FONG