27 Sep 2017
Recently, the alarming news of 7 youngsters arrested for causing a deadly fire at an Islamic boarding school in Keramat which killed 21 students and 2 teachers had shocked our society1. The suspects, who aged between 11 to 18 years olds with 6 of them were tested positive for marijuana (ganja) and reportedly were high on drugs when committing the crime2.
Through a study conducted by the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), more than 1,200 school students in Malaysia were found positive on drugs within the first half of this year only! The number recorded an increase as compared to the same period last year3. The agency, together with the Ministry of Education is putting in their best effort to curb the problem from its core.
Besides marijuana (ganja), current trend also shows a new drug addiction to Yaba pills or better known as Syabu in Malaysia in Asean countries like Thailand and Philippines. Yaba pill is a combination of methamphetamine drug and caffeine and is usually targeted to younger generations such as school children, teenagers and college students due to its bright-coloured pills and variety of flavours. The pills are relatively cheap and easy to get, making it Thailand’s most abused drug after heroin and the cause for majority of drug abuse cases among high school students in northern region of Malaysia4.
Teenagers usually look for drugs whenever they feel weak, listless and dispirited. However, excessive and long-term use of syabu and marijuana can lead to hallucinatory effect which can compel them to violent behaviours such as rape or murder5.
The relevant authorities should take stringent steps to monitor and control the drug intake in their countries especially the Methamphetamine and other commonly-abused drugs such as morphine and marijuana. At Reszon, we provide solution for detection of drug intake by using FastScreen Drug of Abuse Rapid Test for rapid, accurate, fast and convenience with reliable results in only 5 minutes without sophisticated lab instruments!
References:
- ABC News (16 Sep 2017) Malaysia school fire: Seven youths arrested over blaze were “mocked by students’ police say. Accessed on 26 Sep 2017
- Teh A. Y. (18 Sep 2017) Six suspects in tahfiz fire were expelled from school for disciplinary reasons New Straits Times. Accessed on 26 Sep 2017
- Astro Awani (30 Aug 2017) 1,256 students are drug users, numbers rising. Accessed on 26 Sep 2017
- Aneesa Alphonsus (14 May 2012) Yaba or Shabu, it’s the next heroin. Accessed on 26 Sep 2017
- The Sun Daily (20 Mar 2017) Rising concern over syabu addiction among students in Kedah. Accessed on 26 Sep 2017
