Children as young as 12 in Kelantan are falling prey to Yaba pills—also known as pil kuda—lured by peers and local dealers targeting school students. Former addicts currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Kota Baru Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen) shared their stories, highlighting the vulnerability of young teens, according to Kosmo.
One former addict, 21-year-old Ariq, revealed he first tried Yaba pills at the age of 12 under peer influence. “I often saw my friends taking Yaba while hanging out or before playing football,” he said. “I tried it and quickly got addicted. It was easy to get because dealers were always nearby.”
Ariq recounted how his school pocket money was entirely spent on drugs—two pills for RM10—and admitted pawning his mother’s bracelet, worth thousands, to buy 10 pills for RM50. “I reached the deepest stage of addiction. Without money, I couldn’t control the urge to consume the pills,” he admitted. The death of his mother last year, which left him unable to apologize, became a turning point that motivated him to seek treatment.
Another teen, 15-year-old Alim, began experimenting with Yaba at age 12, influenced by older peers in his village. Having dropped out of school, he now works as a village laborer, climbing coconut trees to earn about RM60 a day, supporting both his addiction and his younger siblings. Alim consumes two pills daily and spends RM10 on them, giving the remainder of his earnings to his siblings. His parents were imprisoned for drug-related offenses, and he was raised by relatives.
Alim expressed gratitude for being admitted to Puspen before his addiction worsened. “Even though I’ve only been here for a month, I’ve already learned many lessons, especially about religion,” he said.
The stories of Ariq and Alim underscore the alarming trend of Yaba abuse among young teens in Malaysia and the critical role of rehabilitation programs in breaking the cycle of addiction.
