Al-Sirath Malaysia urged authorities to strengthen enforcement efforts to protect future generations, warning that weak monitoring has allowed synthetic drugs to spread through both physical stores and online platforms.
“The youngest users we have detected obtaining mushroom-flavoured vape products were around 10- or 11-years old.
“Previously, the vape liquid was sold at about RM10 for three drops. A bottle is estimated to cost between RM60 and RM600, depending on its contents and size,” its president, Redzhuan Yusof, told FMT, declining to reveal the locations involved.
Concerns over the spread of these dangerous vape products have grown following a case last week where a teenage girl slashed her throat and wrists while allegedly under the influence of a “mushroom-flavoured” vape.
Yesterday, Melaka police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said an investigation is ongoing, including efforts to trace the source of the “mushroom-flavoured” vape allegedly supplied to the teenager by her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Substance Abuse Council president Ahmad Lutfi Abdul Latiff said the spread of new psychoactive substances through vape liquids has become a serious public health threat.
He said these synthetic substances are popular among teenagers because they are cheap, easily concealed in vape devices, and capable of producing hallucinogenic effects in small doses.
“The substances are odourless and can be easily hidden in vape devices, making them difficult to detect. Their chemical structures are also constantly changing, making these synthetic drugs harder to identify through standard urine screening tests,” he said.
Lutfi also warned that laboratory-produced synthetic drugs may be even more dangerous than traditional narcotics, as they can damage the nervous system and trigger severe mental health disorders, such as acute psychosis, paranoia and self-harming behaviour.
He said enforcement efforts can no longer rely solely on physical enforcement, as syndicates are increasingly exploiting social media and e-commerce platforms to distribute these substances.
He called for tighter cyber monitoring and faster amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 to ensure new chemical analogues can be swiftly classified as illegal.