Rooting out ketum menace

Leaf it alone: General Operations Force officers checking seized ketum leaves in Padang Besar in this file picture. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Authorities are acting to clamp down on the consumption and sale of ketum leaves by increasing fines by up to 10 times and imposing a longer jail sentence on offenders.

This comes as more than 14,000 people have been arrested for abuse since 2015 and large tracts of land, particularly in northern states like Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and parts of Perak, planted with the trees, many of which can be seen from the main roads or highways.