By Danial Dzulkifly
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — The proposed amendments to the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983 (Act 283) are the appropriate middle path, allowing better access to rehabilitation while not excessively penalising drug users.
Gombak MP Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the approach taken by Malaysia avoids two extreme paths adopted by many countries: a hardline conservative move to criminalise drug users entirely and the complete decriminalisation of drug use, as seen in Thailand.
“The amendment shows that we are willing to take a middle path rather than the two extremes,” the Selangor Menteri Besar said when debating the proposed amendments in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“The problem about choosing either of the other two options is that Malaysia could be stuck with consequences,” he added, pointing out that both extreme approaches have their downsides.
Amirudin took Thailand as an example of how a country had to reverse a major policy by reclassifying cannabis as an illegal substance and issuing permits only for medical patients, cultivators and research purposes following concerns over the social impacts of addiction.
The amendments to Act 283 seek to improve by differentiating the interpretation between a drug or substance dependant and a drug or substance misuser.
The proposed bill also seeks to widen the scope of the treatment and rehabilitation of a drug or substance dependant or a drug or substance misuser.
The government is looking to amend Section 3 of the Act to allow an officer to detain in custody any person reasonably suspected of being a drug or substance abuser, among other provisions.
Amirudin, who is also the Selangor Drug Prevention Society’s patron, urged the government to consider providing more grants to private rehabilitation centres to address the high number of drug users in the country.
Recent data from the National Anti-Drug Agency has indicated that the figure currently totals over 140,000.
This move would alleviate the burden on public or community-funded centres, which have a capacity limit of about 100,000.
“By doing so (providing grants), it would provide drug users better access to rehabilitation and hopefully reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse,” he said.
However, Amirudin cautioned against completely absolving parents of responsibility if their children were caught abusing drugs.
“There are cases of husbands who poison their wives or children to use these substances. There are even elements of abuse in these cases, so I caution the government against decriminalising parents from the issue,” he said.
Amirudin emphasised that parental influence and peer pressure remain significant factors in drug use and related criminal activities.
