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News Straits Times ( 24 June 1998 )
OF late, the global and domestic efforts to fight the dadah scourge came into spotlight. On the eve of the next millennium when mankind is striving for a dadah-free world, the moves are both urgent and appropriate as the statistic are overwhelming that dadah abuse is every nation's problem. In setting out an ambitious 10-year programme to fight the menace this month, the United Nation said more than 200 million people use dadah, from glue-sniffing street children to teenage Ecstasy users to hard-core heroin addicts. One of the greatest challenges in the international fight against dadah trafficking has for several years been the misuse of chemical products to make dadah, including amphetamines and other synthetic dadah, said the UN Drug Control Programme, architect of the global move. Malaysia has pledged support for the UN action plan against the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of Amphetamine Type Stimulants and their precursors. In view of the rampant abuse of Ecstasy pills and other amphetamine, the country has made trafficking in these substances a capital offence with the recent passage of amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act. This weeks' announcement that a module to equip future teachers to deal with dadah problems in schools will be introduced in training colleges next year, points to yet another move in the right direction. The subject will not doubt make the dadah preventation campaign in schools more comprehensive. Hitherto, teachers do not have formal knowledge in dadah preventation. at the school and even kindergarten level cannot be overemphasized. Thus the Government's new 25-year plan to produce a generation free from dadah abuse by the year 2023, deserves the support of all. The two-pronged strategy to rid the country of narcotic drugs, from the house right to the workplace requires the co-operation of the whole community. The idea is to have preliminary prevention at the school level with a 15-year target to create a dadah-free environment. The national-level prevention strategy entails having the home, society and workplaces, such as factories, to help eradicate the problem. The oft-heard statement that Malaysia's fight against the dadah scourge remains an uphill battle must not discourage us from soldiering on towards a zero-dadah objectives. Granted that dadah abuse is still a serious problem despite years of stringent laws and tough enforcement, there cannot be any let-up in the national effort to stamp out this blight. Official statistics show there are some 200,000 registered addicts. Last year alone, 17,342 were first-time offenders of the 36,284 addicts identified. That there had been a significant 25 per cent increase in the number of dadah addicts and pushers nabbed by the police and other authorities in the in the past two years should be sufficient to warn us that the problem will grow even worse if we should slacken our vigilance. The active role of parents and the community in the campaign to check dadah abuse is vital if the nation wants to ensure that addiction among students and young workers does not become more prevalent. Of paramount importance is that parents should not be a hindrance to the preventive measures such as urine tests on their children as early intervention is vital for those who may be just starting to experiment with dadah.
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