Kota bharu: Kelantan recorded a total of 11,280 drug addicts and abusers as of March 2025, making it the state with the third-highest rate of drug addiction and abuse in the country, with 597 cases per 100,000 population.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh stated that based on the report compiled up to March, a total of 108,409 drug addicts and abusers had been detected nationwide. He noted that Kelantan ranked behind Terengganu and Perlis, which recorded rates of 663 and 609 cases per 100,000 population, respectively, followed by Kedah (553) and Pahang (495).

Ruslin mentioned that the rate in Kelantan showed a 5.4 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. He attributed this reduction to various integrated efforts, including enforcement activities, preventive education programmes, and tighter control in border areas. The closure of rat trails and illegal entry points has allowed for more systematic control over the movement of prohibited substances from neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, Ruslin highlighted that according to the AADK report for January to March 2025, the abuse of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) was the most prevalent in Kelantan, involving 10,071 individuals or 89.3 percent of total cases. This was followed by the use of opiates with 766 cases (6.8 percent), psychotropic pills with 277 cases (2.5 percent), and cannabis with 41 cases (0.4 percent). Other categories of addictive substances accounted for 277 cases, or 6.8 percent.

He emphasized that the AADK will continue to strengthen prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts, particularly through community education programmes and coordinated enforcement operations with agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police, the Immigration Department, and the Customs Department.