He said the statistics, obtained through urine tests conducted by the police and the National Anti-Drug Agency, were alarming.

“We take the matter seriously, and immediate action is being taken by executing the necessary programmes… More youths, including school students, have become drug addicts from a young age,” he told reporters after visiting Sekolah Tunas Bakti Teluk Air Tawar here yesterday.

He added that police were still closing in on three students from the school, aged between 17 and 18, who ran away last Sunday.

Investigations revealed signs that the hostel gate had been pried open, and the students were believed to have bolted through the second exit which was unlocked.

According to Thaiveegan, it is believed that the students are still in the state.