Drug abuse, addiction and trafficking

Drugs abuse degrading human beings, changing societies and having disastrous effects on human behaviour, undermining social stability and impoverishing nations. 


Growing evidence showed that an alarmingly increasing number of children are being destroyed every second all over the world through drug addiction. 




The weakening of traditional social and religious values, in urban areas, without their replacement by more durable values, can create the addictive behaviour. Such behaviour, especially in adolescents, results from an attempt to reduce the emotional stress created by the anxieties, insecurities and conflicts of urban life. 



It is essential to inculcate the right attitudes in youth - the nation's future leaders - in order to maintain a country's harmony. In the quest for social prosperity, there is no fresh, new day: Today is the product of yesterday and the precursor of tomorrow.

Curiosity, a desire to smoke or to get drunk, to fit in with friends to boost self confidence and to escape problems are generally the reasons behind a youngster's first stick of cigarette or first glass of beer or pull on a joint. Unfortunately this kind of experimentation can lead to the teen actively seeking the drug and then becoming preoccupied with it. 


Drug addiction is a complex biological disease with direct consequences on personality, socio-economy and crimes. Once a person becomes dependent on drugs the disease will be life-long. 


Prevention is the best cure, it is said. This is all the more true when applied to the drug abuse problem. Despite the fact that the drug problem has been a national security concern for the past decades with several arms of government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector involved in combating this threat, not just are new addicts being detected among the younger age group, but the types of drug consumed and the frequency of drug usage among hardcore addicts also show disturbing trends.


There are no simple recipes or strategies that can be formulated for the prevention of drug abuse. However, parents and community support are important in helping children to stay away from drugs and help others fight addiction. Parents has to be more aware of the drug abuse threat since they should be the very first people to notice or detect their children's involvement in drug abuse. But many parents are ignorant of the kinds of drug used by addicts today. Because of this, they are not able to recognise the problem in their own families until it is too late. They should teach their children how to stay away from bad habits and have a close relation on their children activities. 

Addiction is a universal problem and all nations handle the vexatious problem of drug addicts in differing ways.  In Malaysia, addicts are arrested, charged and committed to spend two years in rehabilitation centers under the National Drug Agency. 


In Malaysia there is also a National Society Against Drug Abuse Organisation (PEMADAM), which not only helps abusers kick the habit, but making them regain their self-esteem, re-equipping them with moral and ethical values, and preparing them to re-enter the society by giving them some vocational or technical training.


Treatment of drug addiction requires a deep understanding of its cause and must cover the addict's biological, social system, emotional immaturity, impaired judgment and personality changes. The craving for heroin, or any hard drug, remains because an addict's brain is permanently damaged and must be treated with medication, much like other sicknesses. Just like a diabetic, for example, who needs to take medication to keep his sugar level in check, a drug abuser needs his medication to suppress the craving. Of course, in the case of a drug abuser, the treatment must combine medication and counselling to help him kick the habit for good.


Parents should not be ashamed to come forward and should not harbour children involved in drugs, by voluntarily surrender their addict children for treatment to the drug rehabilitation centres instead of being forced to do so to ensure fewer relapse cases. It is essential that parents, brothers, sisters and other members of the family of a drug addict be involved in the overall treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare programme to make it more effective and meaningful. Ways must be found to bring about positive changes in attitude among parents, family members and colleagues of drug dependants so that they can contribute towards the addicts' successful rehabilitation. A compassionate, one-to-one counselling as well as the use of peer influence might persuade drug addicts to change their ways.This includes counselling by fellow recovering addicts - "because only an addict can understand what another addict goes through".


Greed and indifference towards suffering knows no bounds when it comes to money. The evils of drug abuse are well known and severe punishment, including death, awaits the drug traffickers. And yet drug addiction and trafficking continue to be a menace to society.


Malaysia's forcefully delineated stand against drug is indisputable. Trafficking in dangerous drugs or possession of such drugs is a serious offence in Malaysia, pursuant to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries mandatory death sentence, if found guilty. 


It is a difficult task to track down and bring to justice the criminals behind the manufacture and distribution of drugs. One of the greatest challenges in the international fight against drug trafficking has for several years been the misuse of chemical products to make drug, including amphetamines and other synthetic drug. Synthetics, which include ecstasy, ketamine and ice, have long-term effects on the user's health. Brain damage, stroke, coma and, ultimately, death can occur.