Ketum Abuse In Malaysia: Its Legal Status And Proposed Solution

The time is right for the relevant authorities in the country to find concrete
solution over the issue concerning abuse of Ketum in the country. For many
years, there have been many debates in the country over the legal status of
Ketum especially on the issue of its abuses. Scientifically known as mitragyna
speciosa, Ketum is a tropical deciduous and evergreen tree in the coffee
family native to South East Asia (SEA). It has been a long time used in
traditional medicine by which it is often used by workers in laborious or
monotonous professions to stave off exhaustion as well as a mood enhancer
or as a typical painkiller. Though it has potentially been used as traditional
medicine, there are many reported cases over the recent years over its abuse
especially among the youth due to its characteristic which said to be similar
to other illegal and addictive substance like drug. There have been many
studies conducted on the effects over the abuse of Ketum ranging from
classical addiction up to chronic symptoms. Drinking Ketum water obtained
by boiling the Ketum leaves in water is said to adversely affect the nervous
system and make the abuser addicted to the drink. Due to this study
revelation, many people in the country especially parent started to feel
worried over the wide spread used of Katum particularly among children.
Based on the mentioned negative effects over the abuse used of Ketum also
there have been a proposal to consider Ketum as a drug and been regulated
under Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 [Act 234], Malaysia toughest law dealing
with drug abuse cases. It is the objectives of the paper to examine further the
issue of Ketum, effects and causes over its abuse, its legal status and finding
concrete solution to the ongoing issue. This paper will adopt pure library
research as its methodology. Various sources of references both in the form
of primary or secondary legal sources will be adopted in this paper. At the
end of the research, this paper will able to produce several solutions in form
of suggestion or proposal in dealing with the ongoing issue concerning
Ketum abuse in the country.