Kota Kinabalu: The National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) has called for closer cooperation with the media and local communities to intensify the fight against substance abuse across Sabah.
Speaking through a text read by deputy director-general Zainudin Abdullah at a high tea event with the press on Sunday, director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh (pic) said enforcement bodies alone cannot eradicate the menace without active public participation.
He noted that Sabah currently has 18,442 registered Anti-Drugs Squad members out of 265,460 nationwide, reflecting solid grassroots commitment to safeguarding neighbourhoods from illicit drugs.
To widen preventative coverage, AADK has carried out 51 programmes in districts including Ranau, Kudat, Tuaran, Nabawan, Tongod, Kalabakan, and Semporna through community activities, school engagements, and sporting events.
Ruslin also urged parents and the public to support youth intervention programmes, highlighting the agency's school-based Junior Squad initiative designed to build resilience among children against peer pressure.
