MIDDLE CLASS GOING FOR GANJA AND ECSTASY

JOHOR BARU: Drug abuse among Malaysians is seeing a new trend with
amphetamine-based drugs infiltrating the middle-class group now as compared
to heroin affecting the poor in the past, said the police.

Narcotics Department director-general Datuk Mohd Sedek Mohd Ali said "soft
drugs" such as ganja and Ecstasy pills had made an impact among
professionals and youngsters from the middle class.

"In the past, drug addicts hooked on heroin were mainly from the lower
strata of society who used drugs as a form of escapism.

"Today, there is an increasing trend among those with money to consume
'soft drugs' which they perceive as less harmful and will not lead to
addiction.

"There is now a shift in focus in combating drug abuse in the country by
increasing a crackdown on drugs like ganja and amphetamine-based drugs at
entry points and other spots, particularly at entertainment outlets," he
said after chairing a meeting on cross-border co- operation to fight drug
trafficking with officials from Thailand including members of the Office of
Narcotics Control Board, Thailand Royal Police and Customs.

He said such a shift was necessary to prevent drug addiction among the
middle-class professionals.

He added that the young and trendy who frequented entertainment outlets
were at risk and if the trend continued, society would become ill and
unproductive.

"These 'soft drug' users fail to realise they would gradually go into hard
drugs.

However, he said the number of heroin addicts still remained high at
220,000 registered addicts and there was a need for cross-border efforts to
curb drug trafficking.