By: Media and Corporate Communication Unit

TANJUNG KLING, February 24, 2024 – The National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) has aimed for 16 ‘hotspots’ categorised as high-risk areas (KBT) to be converted to low-risk areas (KBR) by this year.

The Director General of NADA, Mr Sutekno Ahmad Belon said, it is one of the efforts taken to reduce the severity of drug addiction in this country from 437 cases per every 100,000 population to 400 cases by 2025.

“So one of the efforts is to make sure that the 155 areas identified as KBT are changed into KBR in the span of five years starting from 2021,” he said while also mentioning the success of converting 77 KBT statuses into KBR.

He said them in the Prime Walkabout Programme in honour of the Anti-Drugs Day 2024 in Pantai Puteri here, on Saturday.

Also present were the Health, Human Resources and Unity Exco of Melaka, Ngwe Hee Sem; Deputy Director-General (Management) of NADA, Mrs. Shobah Jamil, and the Prevention Division Director, Zainuddin Abdullah.

Furthermore, Mr Sutekno also mentioned that 14,890 drug addicts have successfully been fully rehabilitated out of the 19,820 addicts in the Community Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme (RPDK).

NADA also targeted for one million members in SKUAD, especially among the youth this year.

He claims that NADA has successfully drawn in over 150,000 people, and additional efforts are being made to reach the target, such as drawing in registrations from community members, schools, and higher education institution students.

“Instead of just giving anti-drug lectures, we want our volunteer SKUAD to be able to conduct more healthy activities as a way to prevent drug addictions,” he stated.