Rising concern over syabu addiction among students in Kedah

ALOR STAR: If you notice your teenager has, of late, been staying up all night and seems overly active, then it is time to do some probing to find out if he or she is taking syabu.
Early intervention can nip the problem in the bud and spare you the anguish of watching your child morphing into a raging addict.
Syabu, also known as ice, speed or crystal, is the colloquial name for methamphetamine, a stimulant that makes one hyperactive, and even bold and daring enough to commit acts that they would normally refrain from doing.
"Syabu users usually have sleepless nights and are prone to committing criminal activities like housebreaking. They also steal motorcycles and then take them back home before dismantling their components... parents should take note of such telltale signs and take immediate action," said Kedah National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) director Mohd Nazir Mustaffa.
Expressing concern over the rising number of syabu addicts in Kedah, he said out of the 6,442 drug abuse cases reported in the state from January to December 2016, 50 per cent involved syabu addicts aged between 20 and 31. During the same period the previous year, 5,411 drug abuse cases were reported in the state.
Mohd Nazir said 350 students were tested positive for syabu between January and December last year after urine tests were carried out. In 2015, according to a recent press report, about 70 per cent of the 374 students nabbed for drug abuse were hooked on syabu. Currently, there are 415 students between the ages of 13 and 15 in a drug rehabilitation centre in Kulim, Kedah, the report had quoted Mohd Nazir as saying.
Hallucinatory effects
He said the academic performance of students hooked on syabu was bound to deteriorate as they often played truant, while adult addicts would inevitably get drawn to underworld activities and even violent crime.
"The hallucinatory effects of syabu can embolden them to murder or rape someone," he said, adding that NADA was busy conducting anti-drug campaigns in various parts of Kedah's 12 districts that have been categorised as "black" or "grey" areas, depending on the severity of the drug problem.
"We don't want the drug menace to become prevalent and turn into a cancer in our society."
He added that the agency was working closely with the state- and district-level education authorities to carry out programmes aimed at creating awareness among students on the perils of drug abuse.
He also urged parents and the community to tackle the social ill jointly because if it is allowed to spread, it may go out of control and cause public disorder.
"NADA and the police are always monitoring the issue but we feel that parents and the community play an important role in eradicating the drug menace because they are the ones who are closest to the drug users and they know what the situation is like in their own villages," he added.
Not easy for hardcore addicts to recover
Mohd Nazir also advised parents to send their drug addict children to either the drug rehabilitation centre run by NADA in Karangan, Kulim, or any private facility to help them kick their habit.
"I'm sure parents love their children enough to want to give them a second chance ... don't just leave them alone because (we can help them as) we have a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts," he said.
He added that syabu addiction among students and teenagers, if left unchecked, may create problems in their households and even wreck their parents' marriage.
Consultant psychiatrist and psychologist at Kedah Medical Centre Dr Wan Mohd Rushdi Wan Mahmud, meanwhile, said it was usually difficult to rehabilitate syabu addicts who have developed a dependency on the substance.
But if they are not sent for rehabilitation, they would continue to be dependent on syabu, he said.
"Quite unlike heroin which is a highly addictive drug, syabu users usually look for the drug whenever they feel weak, listless and dispirited," said Wan Mohd Rushdi.
He warned that excessive and long-term use of syabu can lead to the addicts hearing voices and seeing imaginary figures which can compel them to behave violently towards their children or other family members.
"(When high on syabu) addicts feel they can do whatever they want because the drug gives them the strength and zeal to do so... it also gives them pleasure, that's why syabu is so popular among drug users these days," he said.
Ketum danger
Urging parents to seek immediate help if they suspect their children were addicted to syabu, Wan Mohd Rushdi said it would be difficult for them to kick the habit if they were left to their own devices for too long.
"Medicines are available to stop morphine and heroin addictions but there's no replacement or medicine to help syabu addicts to give up their bad habit. But if an addict is brought for treatment in the early stages of his addiction, then he can be helped," he said.
He said excessive use of syabu could also cause the addict to lose a lot of weight due to loss of appetite and even lead to death due to rapid heart rate.
He also advised parents to look out if their children were smoking ketum or drinking the juice as it usually paved the way for them to experiment with other drugs like syabu.
"Parents should not take it lightly because it starts with ketum juice and later they proceed to smoking syabu. Just remember that long-term addiction to syabu is difficult to treat," he added.
The ketum plant, the scientific name of which is Mitragyna speciosa, thrives in the moist soil found in Kedah and Perlis. Its leaves have traditionally been used for improving vitality and other purposes but excessive intake can cause euphoria, dizziness, drowsiness and vomiting, according to press reports. — Bernama