LABUAN: School leavers with secondary-level education, including SPM holders, form a major group among those trapped in drug and substance abuse with 68,619 individuals, or 68.1% of the total recorded nationwide, says National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh (pic).
He said the figure, based on the latest data as of the first quarter of this year, showed the adolescent and schooling phase remained a critical period in preventing young people from falling into drug abuse.
"What is more worrying is that the highest number of those trapped in drug abuse are young people within the productive and working age group.
"A total of 81.4%, or 48,042 addicts, are aged between 15 and 39… this should be their golden age, when they should be contributing to their families and building the nation, not being destroyed by drugs," he told reporters after launching the Jelajah Aspirasi Bebas Dadah and Kampung Aspirasi Bebas Dadah programme at Kampung Belukut here on Sunday (July 5).
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Ruslin said the country recorded 100,882 drug addicts and substance abusers as of March, equivalent to 295 persons for every 100,000 population.
He said the situation was also worrying because of synthetic drugs, especially amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as syabu and pil kuda, which accounted for 73% of the most commonly abused drugs.
He said 70.7% of addicts were currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, either in institutions or within the community.
Ruslin said employment data also showed that the private sector recorded the highest involvement, with 31,371 individuals, or 31.1%, followed by the self-employed category at 30,115 (29.9%).
He said parents must play a greater role as the first line of defence, particularly in monitoring children during their teenage and school-leaving years.
Earlier he said AADK's approach this year focused on bringing anti-drug advocacy directly to communities through the Jelajah Aspirasi Bebas Dadah programme, instead of relying only on agency-based activities.
Ruslin said Labuan, as a duty-free island and maritime hub with open sea borders, had a unique risk profile that required a community-based and strategic border-control approach.
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"A one-size-fits-all approach cannot be used in drug prevention and rehabilitation programmes.
"Kuala Lumpur needs urban intervention, Putrajaya needs family institution-focused advocacy, while Labuan requires a strong community and island border approach," he said.
He said Kampung Belukut was selected as one of the Kampung Aspirasi Bebas Dadah locations under the Federal Territories AADK because of its strong leadership and active community participation.
Ruslin said the village had been categorised as a model community village with strong leaders and an active community, reflecting the strength of its social system and community control mechanism.
He said efforts to combat drugs required a whole-of-community and whole-of-government approach involving government agencies, NGOs, volunteers, local leaders, the private sector and the media.
"No agency can move alone in facing a threat of this scale…when we move together, the nation’s social defence will become stronger against negative elements," he said. – Bernama
