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THE National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada) has identified 155 locations across Malaysia as the country’s most active drug abuse hotspots, raising concerns over persistent substance misuse and associated social problems.
These high-risk areas were determined based on data collected from 2021 through the end of last year, focusing on the concentration of individuals undergoing treatment and community rehabilitation programmes.
News Straits Times cited a Nada spokesman explaining that the assessment “is based on the population of clients undergoing treatment and community rehabilitation nationwide, along with several other criteria that indicate an area's risk level.
“It is part of an integrated initiative by the agency to reduce high-risk areas across the country.”
The initiative mobilises government agencies, local communities, and civil society in a collaborative effort to implement programmes addressing drug abuse, substance misuse, and related social issues.
“It involves sharing resources, manpower, expertise, financial allocations, and logistics in these areas in a coordinated and integrated manner,” the spokesman said.
High-risk areas are officially delineated according to district, zone, and state administrative boundaries.
“The High-Risk Area Reduction Programme covers all 155 areas, aiming to eradicate drug-related problems and social issues in a systematic way,” the spokesman added.
Under the programme’s “Greening Initiative,” Nada has steadily restored these hotspots to safer conditions.
“Sixteen areas, or 10 per cent of hotspots, were successfully 'greened' in 2021, followed by 38 (25 per cent) in 2022, and 78 (50 per cent) in 2023. In 2024, the agency successfully 'greened' 117 areas (75 per cent), increasing to 155 (95 per cent) last year.
“As of November, all 155 targeted areas achieved 100 percent green status,” he said.
The agency emphasised that the programme is ongoing and designed to be a sustainable, multi-agency effort to tackle drug abuse while supporting community rehabilitation and social development nationwide. - February 14, 2026