JOHOR BARU: New prohibited substances and chemical compounds found in synthetic drugs must be gazetted under the Poisons Act fast to allow enforcement agencies to act more effectively, particularly in the distribution of emerging synthetic drugs, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said the challenge faced by the police is when a poisonous substance is detected in a synthetic drug but it is not listed under the Act.
“This will have implications for police investigations.
“We have discussed the matter at the Cabinet, and coordination between the Home Ministry, Health Ministry and Chemistry Department is key to resolving this issue,” he told reporters after attending a programme at SMK Puteri Wangsa.
Saifuddin Nasution said amphetamine-type stimulants remained the most dominant drug threat in the country, accounting for 73.9% of drug abuse cases.
The majority of those involved in synthetic drug abuse were aged between 15 and 39, he said.
He said based on the Drug and Substance Abuse Report 2025, a total of 191,832 drug addicts and substance abusers were recorded nationwide.
“Among the states with the highest number of cases are Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis,” he added.
In Johor, he said, 20,996 individuals were recorded as being involved in drug abuse, with a prevalence rate of 499 cases for every 100,000 residents.
On another matter, the minister said delays in resettling refugees, particularly the Rohingya community, to third countries have contributed to the growing refugee population in Malaysia.
He said the number of refugees successfully resettled to third countries was significantly lower than the number of cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“As a result, while waiting for resettlement, they remain within our communities. That is what we are facing today,” he said when commenting on the ‘Catch Rohingya’ campaign circulating on social media.
To address security implications arising from the situation, the government is currently carrying out its own data collection exercise and no longer relies solely on data from the UNHCR, Saifuddin Nasution said.
“When we have our own data, we will be able to take enforcement action if there are any violations of Malaysian laws by this group.
“They remain subject to domestic laws and firm action will be taken if they breach the country’s regulations,” he said.
