Illegal gambling blamed for high drug abuse cases
KUCHING: Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang was very unhappy with the fact that Padawan has been identified as one of the districts with the highest drug abuse cases in the state.
He blamed illegal gambling as the cause of the high inflow of drugs into the district.
“It was discovered that children who are hooked to illegal gambling also peddled drugs to pay their debts. And due to the high interest charged on the debts, the children have no qualms about peddling drugs, albeit in small amount.
Lo Khere Chiang
“But big or small it is still drugs and those who bought the drugs are young too. So, it is a must that the authorities concerned sit down and discuss how to eliminate it. It is a matter of great urgency before the matter becomes too big to tackle,” Lo said.
He also pointed out that parents and schools are the eyes and ears on drug abuse, so parents must report any case they know of and not to pretend that they do not know, otherwise the matter can get out of control one day.
“I know that every school wants to keep its reputation intact but if there are students involved, it is the school’s responsibility to report the matter. This is also to help the drug addicts to kick their habit instead of getting more of their friends involved,” he said.
Lo added that in Batu Kitang, his committee had conducted anti-drug programmes with Puspen (anti-drug movement) to help inmates learn to make handicrafts.
“We do what we can to help them find meanings in their lives. Through such programmes, we hope the inmates can continue pursuing what they have learned. They can make a living for themselves,” he said.
Lo also said that besides helping these inmates, the authorities must get to the root of the problem.
“The community leaders must also dare to speak out and work with the police to fight the drug menace in their villages. Giving in to the drug peddlers out of fear will worsen the situation,” he pointed out.
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