Its acting director-general, Azizan Ariffin, said the proposal would definitely bring more harm than good.
“The cost of rehabilitating addicts is very high… for instance, a total of RM33,200 is needed daily to cover the cost of food supply for 4,000 drugs addicts in rehabilitation centres nationwide. And in a month, the cost is RM996,000.
“The cost will increase drastically if more people are addicted to ketum,” he told reporters after officiating the Kubang Pasu AADK office here yesterday.
Azizan also encouraged state governments to strengthen their policies to prohibit the plantation of ketum in their states, adding that severe action must be taken against landowners who let others use their land to grow ketum.