Drug addiction among youngsters worsening in Sarawak, claims assemblyman

MORE teenagers and young adults in rural areas are getting hooked on drugs, a situation which keeps getting worse in Sarawak.

Opar state assemblyman, Billy Sujang, said his area is seeing an unprecedented rise in drug abuse among the young.

"The community must take this situation very seriously. We are losing a lot of our young to the drug menace.

"Those hooked to drugs are unable to work properly due to their addictions and will become a threat to society.

"Community organisations must work with the authorities to tackle these increasing problems," he said when gracing a community welfare event.

It was earlier reported that a total 11,470 arrests including 48 secondary school students were made between January to December 2023 for drugs and substance abuse offences.

A total RM151 million worth of illicit drugs and substances were seized by the authorities, showing a sharp increase of over 1,443 per cent as compared to the RM9.7 million worth of narcotics seized in 2022.

The One-Stop Committee (OSC) to Tackle Drug and Substance Issues in Sarawak said the number of arrests made in 2023 reflected a 12.04 per cent increment compared with 2022’s 10,237 arrests.

In terms of districts, Kuching led with 3,466 arrests, followed by Sibu (1,280), Miri (1,277), Bintulu (939), Kota Samarahan (605) and Sarikei (592). – March 2, 2025