NST Leader: Tough battle as drug trends shift
The drug scourge has been with Malaysian society for as long as we can remember.
"Traditional" drugs such as ganja and heroin had dominated the scene, topping the National Anti-Drugs Agency's (AADK) annual list of substances favoured by addicts.
However, last year marked a sharp shift in the trend, with synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and methamphetamine overtaking traditional drugs as the narcotics of choice.
Take the latest troubling statistics: Of the 193,000 addicts arrested or who voluntarily surrendered, 60 per cent were hooked on synthetics, outpacing heroin and ganja abuse.
They were attracted to the drugs because of easy access, lower prices and more potent effects.
AADK director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh, in an interview with the New Straits Times, said synthetic drugs have become the favoured narcotics of the younger generation, namely addicts aged between 19 and 39.
They make up almost 70 per cent of those hooked on synthetic drugs. Why this shift to synthetics?
It's a complex mix of social, psychological, economic and environmental factors.
There's the party and clubbing culture: drug-using peers increase exposure and favourable attitudes, thrill-seeking and experimentation.
There's also the misplaced perception that synthetics are "safe and legal" because peddlers' market them as "legal highs", labelling products as "incense" and "potpourri" to mislead users.
The downside is severe and unpredictable side-effects: trauma, mental health problems, family conflict, stress and poor self-image.
Another effect of the popularity of synthetic drugs, according to Roslin, is the perception among youths that ganja is a "safer" option.
This has inadvertently fulfilled the age-old adage of ganja being a gateway drug, looping in fledgling users to experiment with stronger, more potent narcotics.
Hindsight, they say, is 20-20. Given current developments, it would appear that Malaysia has dodged a bullet when a 2022 movement to legalise "medical" marjuana in the country failed to take off.
Even Thailand, which had decriminalised marijuana in 2022 — a first for Southeast Asia — this week reimposed restrictions on the drug.
All these only serve to underscore the harsh reality that despite decades of government and community approach involving education, early intervention, treatment and support, eradicating drugs is a monumental battle.
While the temptation to capitalise on the potential economic benefits is there, it is undoubtedly too high a price to pay.
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