A FIFTY-YEAR CHALLENGE IN MANAGING DRUG ADDICTION IN MALAYSIA

The history of substance abuse in Malaysia can be divided into pre- and post-independent era. In pre- independence, the main drug of abuse was opium which was initially consumed by immigrants from China who were introduced by the British colonialist to work in Malaya. The post-independence era began in the 1960s when young adults were inß uenced by the “Hippy” subculture. At this time, consumption patterns changed where more Malays were involved in drug abuse compared to other ethnic groups