PUTRAJAYA: Parents are advised to inspect packages ordered online by their children because they may contain drugs, national anti-drugs agency (AADK) director-general Sutekno Ahmad Belon said.
Sutekno said drugs can be easily bought online and delivered to the doorstep.
“Instead of buying drugs from a dealer or their peers, they only have to place an order on the dark web or social media platforms and they will be delivered through courier services,” he told reporters after a Cabinet committee meeting on combating the use of drugs.
“That is why it is especially important for parents to act as a security layer and inspect packages sent to their homes.”
Sutekno said the AADK estimated that there were more than one million drug addicts nationwide.
He said a study by the home ministry and the agency conducted last year showed that about 92,000 youths were heavily addicted to drugs.
“As a result, today’s meeting was necessary to discuss the effectiveness of the steps taken by the police, AADK and the home ministry to combat drug addiction and rehabilitate addicts,” he said.
He said the Cabinet gave the ministry and the agency three months to come up with new initiatives to tackle the country’s drug problem.
He also stressed the need to strengthen existing drug laws and improve enforcement.
In February, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government was in the final stages of introducing a new Act involving treatment methods to replace punishment for drug offences.
