“Drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong policies have destroyed many more.”
That was the stark reminder delivered by the late Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General, in 2016.
Annan had warned that punitive, enforcement-heavy approaches had failed worldwide – fuelling mass incarceration and, in some countries, worsening insecurity under the guise of a “war on drugs”.
Yesterday, Professor Dr Vicknasingam B. Kasinather of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Drug Research echoed Annan’s words as he delivered the keynote lecture at the 11th Forum on Crime and Policing in Malaysia, in George Town, Penang.
In his address, ‘Rethinking Malaysian Drug Policy: The Way Forward’, Vicknasingam stressed the need for Malaysia to pivot from a criminal justice-based strategy to a public health approach in tackling drug use.
“We must get our drug policy right. There is an urgent need for reform so that we can manage the problem more effectively,” said Vicknasingam, who sits on both the World Health Organisation’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Scientific Advisory Committee.
For decades, Malaysia has maintained some of the harshest penalties in the region, including the mandatory death sentence for drug trafficking and long prison terms for repeat users.
Yet, as Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi admitted last month, despite spending RM50 billion on prevention, enforcement and treatment, the nation must concede it has failed to curb the scourge.
Zahid has called for fresh thinking to stem the rise in synthetic drug use, particularly among young people and the educated.
Vicknasingam welcomed the shift towards public health solutions but urged deeper reforms, including amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act, not just the Treatment and Rehabilitation Act.
“Most users are still arrested under the Dangerous Drugs Act. Between 6,000 and 10,000 people are sent for treatment each year, but an average of 50,000 to 85,000 are sent to prison. That tenfold disparity illustrates prisons are filled with drug users who would be better served by treatment,” he said.
He warned that this imbalance would only worsen as Malaysia moves towards an ageing society by 2030.
“If more than half of our population will soon be over 50, while so many of those aged 19 to 39 struggle with drugs, simply throwing them into prison is not a long-term solution.”
Instead, he argued, drug dependency should be treated within communities rather than prisons or institutional rehabilitation centres.
“Drug use is both a brain disease and a behavioural problem. You cannot modify behaviour in an artificial, enclosed environment. The real test is in the community, where social and environmental stresses exist. Treatment in such environments is far more effective.”
“N. Palani, director of the Drug Policy Programme Malaysia, a panellist at the forum, agreed.
“Pushers and suppliers target young people using for fun, sex, and even productivity. Users are at the bottom of that chain. As Confucius said, ‘if you want to kill a snake, you cut off the head, not the tail’.”
Palani urged Malaysia to confront failure and embrace change.
“There is no shame in admitting our drug policy has not worked. We must amend the laws so users are seen as patients, not criminals. Since 1952, we’ve labelled them sampah masyarakat (society’s trash). We must change course and recognise drug use as a medical issue, like diabetes or cancer.”
Civil society voices echoed this call.
Datuk Dr Florance Sinniah, president of Sneham Malaysia, said: “It is time we shift our view from criminalisation to public health and psychosocial support. Stigma and the shame placed on families remain the biggest barriers. We must listen, rehabilitate within communities, and move away from imprisonment.”
Sneham Malaysia is a toll-free suicide prevention helpline.
The forum, themed Contemporary Issues and Challenges on Drug Use in Malaysia, drew 120 participants, including academics, law enforcement officers, addiction specialists, healthcare providers, community leaders, and individuals affected by drug use.
It was organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research in collaboration with the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Penang, the Drug Policy Programme Malaysia, and the Penang State Government. Twentytwo13 was the official media partner.
Organising chairman Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said the forum sought to examine existing policies critically, highlight the urgency for change, and raise awareness and knowledge among civil society about drug use in Malaysia.
