279 students tested drug positive in Kelantan

KOTA BARU: A total 279 students including four females were found positive on drugs in the state this year, the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly was told. State Human Capital Development, Education, and High Education Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said, of the total, 18 were also detained by police.
"This was following urine tests on 3,957 male students and 191 female students at 164 national secondary schools.
"Those students who were tested positive are still experimenting with drugs and are not yet addicts," he told the state assembly sitting at the Kota Darul Naim Complex here today.
He was responding to a question from Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Chetok) who wanted to know the number of students who were addicted to drugs in the state.
However, Mohamed Fadzli did not disclose the last date the urine tests were carried out.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (BN-Ayer Lanas) in his supplementary question proposed that Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS cooperate especially at the grass-root level to tackle the drug menace.
State Local Government, Housing, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Fattah Mahmood said the state government would always be together with non-government organisations (NGO) to eradicate drug abuse in Kelantan.
"Drugs do not differentiate between the children of members of Umno or PAS," he said.
Earlier, Abdul Fattah was replying to a question submitted by Datuk Nozula Diah (BN-Paloh) who wanted to know the role and measures taken by the state government in helping the police eradicate addiction to psychotropic drugs in Kelantan. — Bernama