LAWAS: Drug abuse remains the nation’s number one enemy and consistent campaigns to eradicate the problems are necessary, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Last year 26,668 addicts were detected of whom 76.1 per cent are new,” he said and stressed that without such campaigns, the problem could become an epidemic as the main targets for pushers were the younger generation.
“From the total, 73.4 per cent were those aged between 19 to 39, the age group of young people who could have been the catalyst and contributors to the country’s progress and development.”
He said this when launching the National Anti Drug Day here organised by the National Anti-Drug Agency.
Zahid also revealed there were about 280,000 drug addicts registered by the agency while the estimation for the total number of users stands at four times the figure nationwide.
“We need to be wary of tactics used by drug pushers who operate by supplying first and letting the demand come later,” he said on reports that children as young as seven were introduced to drugs in the form of sweets.
“The Education Ministry needs to act on this,” he said adding that aggressive campaigns need be carried out in schools.
He also revealed that there are 178 hotspots for drug addicts in the country and that instructions have been given to the relevant agencies to tackle the problems on the ground.
Zahid also welcomed all the help the country can get on tackling drug abuse including from non-governmental organisations, corporations or even individuals.
At the ceremony, Zahid also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the agency’s director general Datuk Suhaili Abdullah and Harian Metro’s Group Editor Datuk Mustapa Omar.
The newspaper will serve as the mouthpiece for the agency in promoting its anti drug campaigns by highlighting issues, concerns and actions that could help curb the problem.