ALTERNATIVE DRUGS
FOR DRUG ADDICTS IN
MALAYSIA
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•Taken orally
Ketum leaves
•Taken by inhaling
Inhalants
1. Mitragyna Speciosa
• the leaf is generally regarded as a "substitute" for other types
of drug abuse, especially ganja (cannabis).
• The leaf is used as a "supplementary" drug during opium or
heroin withdrawal treatment.
• According to some sources, the leaf helps addicts during
withdrawal because of its morphine-like qualities.
• Others say it is the hallucinogenic and/or depressive
properties that do the trick. Whatever, the leaves when
chewed give a "high" and supposedly assist the withdrawal
process, which otherwise would be agonising. Some even
claim that its juice acts as a general tonic.
• The active substance of ketum is the alkaloid mitrigynine.
However,it also has its own value
• The plant is indigenous to Malaysia, growing mostly wild in
the northern part of the peninsula, from Kedah to as far as
Thailand.
• In these areas, there are even ketum farms which provide a
regular income. It has various uses, including as a cheap
alternative medicine.
• One of the farmers reportedly said traditional healers use
ketum for deworming, improving blood circulation, and even
to treat diabetes. Although better scientific documentation is
still needed to verify these claims, the popularity of ketum is
undeniably related to its medicinal virtues.
What is its status in MALAYSIA?
• Legal status ~Kratom is a controlled
substance in Thailand, Bhutan, Australia,
Finland, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania and
Sweden (Mitragynin) as of September, 1,
2011. Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma). In
Malaysia, kratom is scheduled under the
Poisons Act.
ILLEGAL~
• Sale of 'ketum' leaves to be made a serious drug offence
• JITRA (Jan 12, 2007): The government has submitted a
working paper to the Attorney-General's Office to have the
"daun ketum" (leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree) to be
listed as a dangerous drug, thus making thesale of the leaves
a serious drug offence.
• Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari
Baharom said presently, offences related to ketum leaves
were placed under the Poisons Act where punishment meted
out are much lighter.
• "The government is prepared to have offences linked to
ketum leaves to come under the Dangerous Drugs Act," he
said when launching a Belia Benci Dadah (Youth Hate Drugs)
programme in Kampung Keda Wang Tepus near here today,
reports Bernama.
• He said public was alarmed that use of the leaves is becoming
more widespread as the effect is the same as taking drugs.
• Mohd Johari said the "mitraginin" in the leaves also caused
users to become addicted.
2. Inhalant
What is inhalant?
Inhalants are products that
give off chemical vapours.
When a person purposely
inhales the vapours, they may
feel temporarily light-headed
and giddy. Repeated large
doses can make a person feel
and act as if they have been
drinking alcohol.
Common used Inhalants (Malaysia)
Generally it contains psychoactive drug
•
•
•
•
•
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Paint thinners
Glue
Nail polish remover
Gasoline
Petrol
Dried Cows’ dung
How Inhalants are Used
• Some inhalants, such as propane gas, are inhaled straight
from the can.
• Other solvents can be inhaled after the substance is put inside
a plastic bag.
• Sometimes a cloth rag as a way to filter out undesirable
particles in the product.
• Some young people will pour a
substance like glue onto the sleeve
of their clothing and inhale it from
there.
How do inhalants work?
• All inhalants are absorbed through the lungs and travel
quickly through the bloodstream to the brain. This creates an
immediate but brief feeling of intoxication.
• Solvents produce an alcohol-like effect lasting up to 45
minutes. Users may have a distorted perception of shapes,
colours, time and space. This is usually followed by an hour or
two of drowsiness.
• Nitrous oxide produces a dream-like state and loss of motor
control that lasts a few minutes.
• Nitrites cause blood to move quickly to the brain producing an
immediate “rush” that lasts a few minutes.
Effects :
• Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in
solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure
and death. Heart failure results from the chemicals interfering
with the heart's rhythm regulating system, causing the heart
to stop beating. This is especially common from the abuse of
fluorocarbons and butane-type gases. High concentrations of
inhalants also cause death from asphyxiation, suffocation,
convulsions or seizures, coma, choking or fatal injury from
accidents while intoxicated.
Other irreversible effects caused
by inhaling specific solvents are:
• Hearing loss - toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers) and
trichloroethylene (cleaning fluids, correction fluids)
• Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms - hexane (glues,
gasoline) and nitrous oxide (whipping cream, gas cylinders)
• Central nervous system or brain damage - toluene (paint
sprays, glues, dewaxers)
• Bone marrow damage - benzene (gasoline)
• Liver and kidney damage - toluene- containing substances
and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids, dry- cleaning
fluids)
• Blood oxygen depletion - organic nitrites ("poppers," "bold,"
and "rush") and methylene chloride (varnish removers, paint
• Inhalants are most popular among young people between 10
and 16 years old. Often they try inhalants only once or twice
to see what the experience feels like.
• Inhalants are inexpensive, legal and easy to access. Their
effects last a short time. These factors make using inhalants
attractive to pre-teens and early teens.
• Some people who use inhalants regularly may become
dependent on the way substances make them feel. They may
find themselves using inhalants even when they don’t want
to. Chronic users tend to be in their twenties.
• For some people, solvent use is a form of escape from things
they don’t like in their lives.
• Cannot be traced in urine test
Sources
http://psychoactiveherbs.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_
id=21
http://www.kratom-world.com/malaysia.html
http://heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/inhalants
http://www.theantidrug.com/drug-information/commonlyabused drugs/inhalants-huffing/default.aspx
http://alcoholrehab.com/alcohol-rehab/inhalant-abuse/
THANK YOU!