SHAH ALAM, May 24 — The Selangor National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) has not recorded any cases or arrests involving the use of so-called 'zombie drugs' such as fentanyl so far.
However, its director Nazir Mohamad said the trend of new synthetic substance use among teenagers remains worrying because the contents are difficult to identify.
“So far in Selangor, we have not encountered any individuals or arrests related to the substance referred to as the zombie drug.
“However, we have heard about seizures made in other states, and the matter is indeed concerning,” he told Media Selangor when contacted.
Nazir added that the substances contained in vapes are believed to possibly consist of new psychoactive substances that have not yet been fully identified.
“But we know the effects are very significant on users to the point that they can appear like zombies,” he said.
Fentanyl is categorised as a new psychoactive substance, and its long-term effects on users are still not fully understood.
“That is what concerns us, because we still lack sufficient information regarding the substance,” he said.
At the same time, the Selangor AADK continues to intensify prevention and education campaigns in schools to curb drug abuse among students and young people.
The results of urine screening tests in schools show that the number of students testing positive for drugs is now much lower than before.
“If we conduct screening tests now, it is indeed difficult to find students testing positive for drugs.
“However, we are not sure whether the campaigns carried out are successful or whether they have shifted to newer drugs that are harder to detect,” Nazir said.
He also reminded youths to courageously reject peer influence and to be more aware of the dangers of drug abuse, as such substances are now increasingly easy to obtain.
Previously, the media reported the presence of the 'zombie drug' fentanyl in Malaysia, believed to be 100 times stronger than morphine, following the analysis of wastewater samples in Lembah Subang conducted recently.
