Drug addiction cases up by 27% in first six months of 2023, says AADK

Drug addiction cases in Malaysia have seen a 27% increase in the first half of this year, with a total of 118,820 addicts reported compared to 93,534 addicts in the same period last year, according to the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) director-general Sutekno Ahmad Belon. This rise is particularly concerning as more than half of the recorded cases involve youths and teenagers. In 2022, over 137,000 drug addicts were reported, with 65% being youth or teenagers,” he stated at the AADK Media Appreciation Ceremony in Kuala Selangor on Wednesday (Sept 20).

Belon added that synthetic drugs have become more prevalent in the country over the last five years compared to organic drugs. He also revealed that Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu registered the highest ratio of drug abuse cases per 100,000 residents, with Selangor having the highest number of addicts overall.

According to Belon, one of the main contributing factors for teenagers and youths getting involved in drug addiction is having too much free time without engaging in any activities. To tackle this issue, the Anti-Drug Squad initiative was launched this year to provide productive activities for the youth. The aim is to attract one million members to the Anti-Drug Squad by mid-next year, and currently, there are already 120,000 members.

The AADK’s target is to decrease drug addiction rates to below 400 people out of 100,000 residents in Malaysia by 2025, compared to the figure of 426 people out of 100,000 residents recorded in 2022. Belon also advised parents not to hide family members struggling with drug addiction, but instead seek help from the AADK for treatment.

“Prevention is better than cure, and it needs to start at home. Families should protect their children,” he stressed.