KOTA KINABALU, April 29 — Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor has approved funds totalling RM746,000 for addressing drug abuse and social problems in the state.
He said RM500,000 will be allocated to the National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada) to carry out an integrated programme to tackle drug addiction and social ills in high-risk areas and build a new rehabilitation centre (Puspen) on a 12-hectare site in Tawau.
Currently, Sabah has one Puspen in Papar, which can accommodate up to 300 people.
“Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) was given RM246,000 to continue with its happy family programme as a holistic approach to address the problem of drug addiction and social deviance,” he said after chairing the Sabah Drugs Eradication Action Council (MTMD) meeting at the State Administrative Centre here today.
Also present were Sabah Commissioner of Police Datuk Hazami Ghazali, Nada deputy director-general (administration) Chan Hong Jin and Sabah Nada director Abdul Hamediee Ibrahim.
Hajiji said MTMD has identified 12 high-risk drug areas, namely Likas, Inanam and Penampang, Luagan, Patikang, Tuarid Taud, Tanjung Batu, Merotai, Balung, and three zones in Labuan which fall under the purview of Sabah Nada.
He also urged all district officers, who are also MTMD chairman at the district level, to take immediate action to reduce the problem of drug abuse, particularly in high-risk areas, so that social problems would be manageable.
“Various activities and programmes will be implemented to reduce drug abuse in these three areas and turn them into green areas,” he said. — Bernama
