Drug addiction affecting primary school children in Malaysia
Drug addiction is now affecting children as young as 10 in primary schools, says Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (MNTV) – Drug addiction is now affecting children as young as 10 in primary schools, says Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, expressing grave concern over this critical threat demanding immediate national attention.
He cited a particularly disturbing tactic used by dealers, offering free sweets laced with drugs to lure young children.
“I have discussed this matter with the Education Ministry and preschool institutions to curb this problem. Tackling this issue requires the collective efforts of teachers, parents and the entire community,” he said in a recent interview with Bernama news agency.
Zahid, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on Eradication of Drugs (JKMD), said various initiatives are being implemented to tackle the issue, including learning more effective methods to combat drug trafficking, alongside prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
Consequently, he said, enforcement agencies like the National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada) must adopt more creative approaches, particularly in detecting drug smuggling and monitoring new trends such as the use of delivery services.
“Sometimes the packages are disguised to look like an ordinary online purchase, but they contain drugs. They are highly creative in this regard, and I believe our enforcement and rehabilitation agencies have to be even more creative than they are,” he said.
Zahid highlighted that drug abuse in Malaysia is a cross-racial issue, with the highest addiction rates in Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah. “In the realm of drug crimes, it is a ‘truly Malaysian’ problem. The major traffickers are Chinese, the organised distributors are Indian, and the retail-level dealers are Malay,” he explained.
He revealed that the situation has reached a critical level, with a 32.5% increase in addicts recorded in 2024 compared to the previous year.
To ensure accountability in enforcement, rehabilitation, and prevention, Zahid said, Nada is developing a new strategic plan for 2026-2030, driven by annual Key Performance Indicators set by the Home Ministry and guided by its Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
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