The Malaysian Awareness Society (Masa) has expressed sadness over the violent death at a rehabilitation centre and called on the government to reform its laws before more lives are lost to the system.
Its vice-president Harish Kumar said it is sad to see any drug user who is seeking help for their addiction be treated as a criminal and shown hatred, violence and negativity while in custody.
"Addiction is a medical condition that doctors can curb in a safe and caring environment. Malaysian laws have to be changed fast before more lives are lost.”
He was commenting on reports that a 31-year-old resident of a drug rehabilitation centre in Kubang Pasu, Kedah had succumbed to injuries reportedly sustained at the hands of a warden who foiled his escape attempt.
Harian Metro reported that the 46-year-old warden had allegedly stepped on the victim's neck and kicked his chest, after placing him in an isolation cell following an attempted escape from the facility at around 3am on Nov 4.
The deceased, who was admitted in April for alleged marijuana addiction, had only made it about 1km away from the facility before he was found by the warden, according to Kedah police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat.
"The warden's action led to the victim sustaining injuries on his chest and neck and bloodied nose. About seven hours later, the victim passed out while showering," he said.
Kamarul added that the warden and other trainees had taken the victim to Jitra Hospital, but he was confirmed dead on the way.
Harish lamented that patients are still being treated as criminals.
"Malaysia is still undeveloped in this aspect. Violence towards detainees is seen widely in Malaysia and globally in prisons, custody of authorities, rehab centres, boarding schools and other settings where a person can be vulnerable to action without their consent.
"Violence towards individuals in police custody and rehab centres arise when detainees are first considered criminals than a human. Humans are not perfect, and everyone has their own flaws.
"Detainees can be changed using psychology. If we want to help those who are troubled, it is best to treat them at the root cause," Harish told Malaysiakini.
Laws lagging behind
Harish pointed out that there were three separate but related issues that were addressed as policies by the Pakatan Harapan government but not changed into law.
The first was the legalisation of medical marijuana which has been revived in Parliament.
The second was the decriminalisation of small quantities of drug possessions so that addicts can be treated as patients, not criminals.
The third was the removal of the mandatory death penalty as part of the sentencing under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
"At the moment, since the government and law still only allow drug users to be sent to rehab centres monitored by law enforcers like the National Anti-drugs Agency, the method and attitude towards treating these patients are still not correct.
"It is crucial that all rehab centres have staff members who are properly trained to motivate and change drug users with positivity and love.
"This will make them better people when they return to society. This is the same concept as National Service which has modules to help create leaders," he said.
Harish called on the government to take quick steps and reminded the authorities that cannabis is a substance globally used today as medicine and recreationally.
He also questioned the idea that the deceased had been addicted to cannabis.
"The latest findings based on clinical settings since 2015 show that cannabis is less addictive than sugar and does not have any withdrawal symptoms or negative effects that harm users who have stopped using," he said. - Mkini
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