PUTRAJAYA: The government has set six major focuses as the new thrust to combat drug abuse this year, following the latest data showing that drug seizures have jumped more than eight-fold and the threat from syndicates is becoming more complex, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Combating Drug Abuse, said the six focuses include the study and reformulation of the National Drug Policy, a national anti-drug communication campaign, strengthening community prevention, stigma-free treatment, the use of digital technology and the empowerment of anti-drug personnel.
“The strategic approach is important to ensure that the implementation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Directive No. 1 of 2024 relating to the National Drug Policy coordination machinery can be strengthened across the federal, state and district levels,” he said in a statement.
Ahmad Zahid said efforts to combat drug abuse could no longer be linear, but instead required more dynamic, responsive and data-driven actions because today’s threats are increasingly complex and have direct implications on security, public health and the country’s social costs.
He said 2025 data showed that the value of drug and poison seizures reached RM3.19bil, much higher than RM388.07mil in 2024, involving 89 tonnes of drugs and 132 tonnes of poisons, with methamphetamine remaining the most seized substance at more than 51,000 tonnes.
Explaining further, Ahmad Zahid said this trend showed that Malaysia continued to face aggressive threats from cross-border syndicates.
He also said that the 2025 Drug and Substance Abuse report also recorded 191,832 individuals involved, equivalent to a prevalence rate of 560 per 100,000 population with Selangor recording the highest number with 25,475 people.
Of the total, 53.2% of cases were detected through enforcement, while 40% involved treatment and rehabilitation clients in the community.
“This trend proves that the drug issue is not only related to crime but also a public health and social well-being issue, hence the government has amended the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983 to strengthen the transition to an approach of treatment, rehabilitation and return to social function,” he said.
