Kelantan: The influence of partners, be it husbands or boyfriends, is the main reason for the increase in the number of drug addicts among women in Kelantan last year, with 598 cases compared with 526 the previous year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh stated that a study found life stress was the primary factor acknowledged by all respondents, with most cases stemming from marital conflicts and husbands' behaviour that frequently triggered problems. He explained that this situation pushes women to use drugs as a coping mechanism to forget their anxiety and emotional pain caused by their partners.
Ruslin highlighted that apart from emotional stress, women were also often subjected to psychological manipulation by partners who normalised drug use on the grounds of enhancing beauty and productivity. He noted that women were influenced by those closest to them to believe that stimulant-type drugs could help with weight management, flatten the stomach after childbirth, and provide extra energy to complete household chores faster.
The director-general also pointed out that women's involvement in drug abuse in the state rarely occurs in isolation; rather, the risk of involvement becomes significantly higher when they live in a family environment where a member, particularly a husband, is also a drug user. This cycle is exacerbated by factors such as neglect and loneliness, especially following divorce or a breakdown in relationships, which causes women to seek temporary solace through illicit substances.
Ruslin reported that Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) were the most widely used illicit substances among women in Kelantan last year, with 557 people, while those aged 19 to 39 recorded the highest number of drug abuse cases, involving 409 individuals. In conclusion, he remarked that drug addiction among women in Kelantan is often a manifestation of interpersonal stress and manipulation by partners in an unhealthy domestic ecosystem.
He also mentioned that AADK measured the effectiveness and achievements of its Community-Based Treatment and Rehabilitation (RPDK) programme based on the Client Recovery Index (IKK), with female clients in Kelantan recording an achievement rate of 76.4 per cent last year. Of the 55 female clients assessed, 42 achieved a level of recovery in the good and excellent categories. This figure reflects the effectiveness of the recovery centre's support and the active involvement of families in helping female clients maintain their recovery in the community.