KAJANG: A total of 1,709 secondary school students in 176 high-risk areas were found to be positive for drugs as of October this year, according to the Director-General of the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK), Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah.
He said high-risk areas in Sarawak, Kedah and Kelantan recorded the highest percentage of students involved in drug abuse.
“A total of 41,741 students ranging from 13 to 17 years old in the high-risk areas have undergone urine screening and of this figure, 1,709 were found to be drug positive. Most of them were found to be positive of the methamphetamine type of drugs,” he said at a media conference, here today.
Meanwhile, he said that besides school students, the screening also covered public and private sector agencies to track down those involved in drug abuse.
“Next year, we will empower further the screening to assist in the detection of drug abusers at the work place.
“We want to help those with problems, not to find faults with anyone. Even at the AADK, we have implemented drug screening on 2,841 staff and four of them had been detected to be drug positive,” he said.
He said that action would be taken against staff involved in drug abuse according to existing legislation.
Earlier, Zulkifli launched the AADK 24 hour hotline as an early measure for the public to report drug abuse in their respective areas, besides obtaining advisory services regarding treatment and rehabilitation at AADK facilities.
Members of the public can contact the telephone line 03-89112233 or 019-6262233 if they required advisory services or to report drug abuse activities. — Bernama
