Students opting for cheap psychotropic pills, says Nur Jazlan

Deputy home minister says secondary school and university students take these mind-altering drugs for last-minute exam revision.

JOHOR BAHRU: The price being as low as RM5 a pill is reason enough for many school and university students to be lured into taking psychotropic drugs over heroin and cocaine.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the high price of cocaine, heroin and ganja was beyond the budget of students.

“So, they turn to psychotropic drugs which are available for as low as RM5 each,” he told reporters after launching the 43rd Peninsula Malaysia Penggawa Headman Union annual delegates conference at the Persada International Convention Centre here, yesterday.

He said psychotropic drugs were modern drugs of the Amphetamine Type Stimulant (ATS) and New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) types comprising ecstacy, amphetamine and others which could alter the functioning of the brain and cause mood, awareness and behavioural changes. 

Nur Jazlan added it was also difficult to treat a person who was addicted to such drugs as compared with addiction to cocaine, heroin and ganja.

“Normally, ATS drugs are used by secondary school and university students to prepare for their examination at the last minute. So, they take such drugs so that they can stick it out when cramming up on their revision.”

Nur Jazlan said based on data in 2015, a total of 1,475 school students were found to be involved in taking drugs related to ATS (73%), cannabis (19.2 %) and other drugs (8%).

As such, he said the ministry was seeking to arrange activities with numerous quarters including the National Anti-Drugs Agency and the Peninsula Malaysia Penggawa Headman’s Union to eradicate the problems including identifying hot spots for drug addiction nationwide.

“Currently, they are focusing on fishermen’s settlements such as in Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan. Other areas which will be focused upon are low-cost flats nationwide, especially in the Klang Valley and Felda areas, such as in Pahang,” said Nur Jazlan, who is also Drug Prevention Association of Malaysia (Pemadam) president. -FMT