CRACK DOWN ON PILL PEDDLERS AT DISCOS

I agree with Philip Wong Pak Ming in his letter "Go after real
culprits, not teens" (The Star, March 30).

For the past eight years, I have been living overseas due to work
assignment, but I often travel back to Malaysia to attend to business
matters.

Though I stay in Australia, every year I will return to my home town
(Muar) for a family reunion.

The last festive season, I brought along my nephews who also stay in
Australia.

It was their first time back to Malaysia.

Since they are doing their pre-university studies, this would be a
good learning experience for them, besides fostering closer ties with
their grandparents and relatives.

Everything went fine until one night my nephews did not return, though
it was already the wee hours of the morning.

I got worried.

I found out they were partying at a disco and went looking for
them.

The patrons of the disco--situated behind a restaurant--were dancing
and shaking their heads to the loud music.

They seemed to be in a state of drowsiness.

I pulled my nephews out of that rotten place. They told me they had
taken some pills bought for between RM50 and RM100 at the disco.

My nephews grew up in a good family so I can't blame them. Teenagers
are susceptible to peer pressure.

I wonder whether the disco is an entertainment outlet or a drug
peddlers' haven.

How could such an entertainment outlet be approved? How could pills be
so easily obtainable?

What are the authorities doing? Shouldn't the enforcement be more
stringent for businesses of such nature?

I am not against discos if they serve purely for entertainment.

The relevant authorities should be aware of what is happening in these
places.

The teenagers are not to be blamed. Neither are their
parents.

If the drugs were not made available to them in the first place they
would not have bought them.

Are we not doing anything to stop the predators who sell pills? Are we
moving towards destroying our future generation or helping to provide
a healthy environment for them to succeed?

What I find most surprising is that the relevant authorities did not
know of the existence of such a disco, which is located in a prominent
place.

Thumbs up for Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung who recently
ordered the authorities to carry out checks on entertainment centres
to curb the abuse of synthetic drugs by youngsters.

I hope efforts to check drug abuse will not just end with this call
but will be stepped up for the good of the nation.