Anwar pushes for stronger measures as drug and vape abuse among Malay youths worsens, calls on educators to set good examples
PUTRAJAYA, June 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today called for more action on the rising usage of drugs and vapes among youth in Malaysia.
Speaking during the Seminar Kenegaraan Malaysia Madani organised by the Akademi Kenegaraan Malaysia (AKM), Anwar said that the matter was discussed during a cabinet meeting earlier today.
'We've given funding, counselling, religious outreach — we've been thinking about this problem for decades now and it is still unsolved.
'Although the issue also involved youths from the Chinese and Indian communities, it is worst amongst the Malay youths.
'It is killing their souls at a young age. We need to have discussions and take action,' Anwar said.
He also urged, during the seminar which saw over 1,000 educators from retirees to aspiring teachers from the Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG), to set good examples, especially for the youths.
This includes exhibiting commendable values and ethics as well as mastery of the national language.
'We inherited a great culture and civilisation and our generation along with our children now hold the responsibility to gather as much knowledge and strengthen our ethics so we could bring Malaysians to a higher plateau.
'I'm convinced, InsyaAllah, we can succeed if we worked together as a team and stay on course,' Anwar said.
Earlier this year, reports of schoolchildren consuming vapes laced with synthetic drugs raised concerns among parents, prompting calls for tighter regulation or even a total ban on electronic smoking devices.
On April 24, the Terengganu government announced that it would enforce a ban on the sale of electronic cigarette products at all premises in the state starting August 1.
While the Pahang government last week also followed suit and imposed an immediate vape ban.
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