KUALA LUMPUR: National Association for the Prevention of Dadah (Pemadam) vice-president Datuk Lee Lam Thye has called on religious bodies and non-governmental organisations to help set up drug rehabilitation centres to cope with the increasing number of addicts requiring treatment and rehabilitation.
He said these bodies could play an important role in assisting the Government in striving towards making the nation drug-free by 2015.
He also proposed that the state governments help interested religious bodies and NGOs by charging a token premium on approved land required for the setting up of the drug rehabilitation centres.
Lee said there were religious bodies interested in setting up the centres but were deterred from doing so because of the difficulty in applying for land from state governments at affordable rates.
“If the state governments are prepared to assist, more drug rehabilitation centres can be set up through private and religious initiatives,” Lee said in a statement yesterday.
