IT is sad to hear that last year, the National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada) recorded 30,847 drug addicts compared with 26,668 in 2015.
It is estimated that Malaysia has an average of 70 new drug addicts daily.
The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation said 70 per cent of snatch theft cases reported nationwide involved drug addicts, while according to Prison Department records, 55.4 per cent of those jailed in 2015 were drug offenders.
Peer influence and curiosity are the main factors of drug abuse, while other factors include impulsive individuals with weak social attachments, rising unemployment rate among youth and weak enforcement.
The inspector-general of police had warned that police were not going to compromise in their fight against such crimes.
In Malaysia, the possession of drugs is seen as a serious offence with the penalty of capital punishment. But even this deterrent sentence isn’t working.
Some have argued that jailing drug users is not the solution as most offenders will continue to use drugs after they are released.
Of 2,000 schools that Nada identified as being at risk, 400 had cases related to drugs.
The majority of drug abusers are males, aged between 14 and 16, and the schools were mostly in farming and fishing settlements.
Universiti Utara Malaysia’s research findings showed that in 2009, the government had spent RM8.65 billion to tackle drug issues. However, the programme has not been effective, going by the above numbers.
The authorities need to exchange information to stop the demand and supply of illegal drugs. The Global Financial Integrity estimated that the illicit drug trade is worth US$652 billion (RM2.8 trillion) yearly.
In terms of rehabilitation, addicts need more support from society and their family.
The most important place to fight this drug war is at home. Parents should spend time with their children, respect their feelings and opinions, and teach them about drug abuse.
We need to rid ourselves of this evil in society or we will suffer the consequences. We need to wake up and fight.
It is a fight we are all in, like it or not, for the sake of our country and future generations.
DATUK AKHBAR SATAR, Institute of Crime & Criminology, HELP University.