Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah
KUCHING: Drug addiction and drug trafficking cases in Sarawak, particularly involving Syabu, have seen a drastic increase.
Welfare, Community Well being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said even though the number of such cases in the state is still not as high when compared to Peninsular Malaysia, the rising trend is a cause for concern.
“Syabu is a very destructive drug because it can cause permanent brain damage if continuously abused.
“It (rising trend) is a hot issue now. We must do everything we can to stop drugs as it will not only destroy the community, but the state as well,” she said at a press conference at Wisma Wanita here yesterday.
On the issue of drugs in schools, Fatimah said based on statistics from the Education Department, a total of 289 students were found to be drug-positive in tests conducted in selected schools across the state, from January to June this year.
“Based on the statistics, there needs to be more efforts to combat drug abuse among students or teenagers. It is also sad to see that some of the teens who tested positive for drugs were pregnant, while others were from broken families,” she added.
The minister also revealed that a study by the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) found that 60 per cent of property theft crime cases were committed by drug abusers.
She said the Sarawak government has set up a one-stop centre to address drug and substance abuse issues at both state and district levels, with a few areas – Lawas, Subis, Tebedu, Sri Aman, Pusa and Asajaya – selected for pioneering tests.