KUALA LUMPUR - The issue of drug misuse among school students and youth has reached a worrying level, with some as young as nine years old becoming addicts.
The National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) director-general Sutekno Ahmad Belon, revealed that a study has shown teenagers aged 12 to 16 are particularly vulnerable to substance abuse due to their significant period of development.
"In a study on the prevalence of drug and substance addiction among youth in Malaysia in 2022, it was found that the majority of those admitted to taking drugs were between the ages of 15 and 20.
"However, some respondents confessed to trying drugs as early as nine years old," he added.
Sutekno said this during his speech at the inauguration of the Integrated Campaign Towards a Drug and Juvenile Crime-Free Malaysia 2023, organised by the Narcotic Crime Eradication Organisation (PJNM).
According to the 2022 AADK statistics report, the highest age category of drug abusers and addicts was between 19 and 39 years old, he said.
This group, classified as youth, represented 65.9 per cent or 81,112 individuals out of the overall 128,324 identified abusers and addicts, he added.
"To effectively combat drug addiction within the community, continuous prevention efforts must be implemented," he said.
Sutekno added that, in line with the inclusive and holistic National Drug Policy, the Home Ministry, through AADK, had devised various strategies as part of the mission and goal for Controlled Drugs in 2025.
"These strategies aim to mobilise the government, private sector, and NGOs to address the drug issue collectively,” he said.
Sutekno explained that the role of families was not only important as well as effective, but it was the best investment to save the lives of the youth generation.