Female drug addicts in Malaysia are rumoured to be hooked on to syabu in a bid to lose weight, said Deputy Home Minister Masir Kujat.
He said statistics from the National Anti-Drug Agency revealed an inconsistent trend in the number of drug addicts, especially among women.
“A total of 4,908 female drug addicts were registered between 2009 and August 2016. In 2009, it was only 278 addicts, but the number rose to 580 in 2010.
“The figures dropped in the two years after that, then increased to 699 in 2014 and reached an all-time high of 1,013 women drug addicts last year.
“It has been widely rumoured that many of these women were addicted to syabu or “ice” as it is known, to help in their weight management efforts,” Masir said in reply to a question by Datuk Dr Noraini Ahmad (BN – Parit Sulong) in Parliament.
Dr Noraini had asked for statistics on female drug addicts and also drug users below 18 years old in Malaysia since 2009.
Masir said juvenile drug addicts were higher, with a total of 5,853 youths reportedly hooked on drugs in the last seven years.
It began with 332 youth addicts in 2009, and shot up to a shocking 2,142 youths the following year before dropping to 748 in 2011.
The numbers continued to fall to 419 youths in 2012 and 405 in 2013, but rose to 622 in 2014 and 717 last year.
“As of August this year, we have registered 468 drug addicts below 18 years old.
“Among the factors detected for their drug abuse are peer pressure, curiosity, and as a form of entertainment at nightclubs,” said Masir.-thestaronline
