DRUG ABUSE FROM ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
by Rohani Mokhtar [View Writer's Profile]

ABSTRACT
This article highlights the Islamic perspective of drug abuse. We will look at some types of dangerous drugs exist and how Islamic religion view this problem.

INTRODUCTION
In this article, I choose the topic 'Drug Abuse from Islamic perspective' to describe the types of drugs and the Islamic perspective of drug abuse. I choose this topic because this issue still gets an important role in our society and will give a very big problem for us.

A drug means any substance other than food, which by its chemical or physical nature alters the structure or functions in the living organism. A medicine is used by the doctors to reduce diseases, but a drug is a kind of poison that can be harm and addict or die. According to the law, the illegal action which relates with drug are selling, distributing, cultivating, importing, exporting, possessing, transporting, processing and keeping a drug.

Because it is felt that the major problem of drug use pertains to a person's psychological dependency to a drug, the term drug abuse is used more than that of addiction. Drug can be classified in many ways or many categories that will be discussed later. Then we will explain this topic from Islamic perspective.

DEFINITION
Drug abuse or make bad use of drug is consider as a public health problem that affects many people and has wide - ranging social consequences. Drug abuse begins with addiction when an individual makes a conscious choice to use drugs. The result from this drug interference can create powerful feeling of pleasure, but they have long-term on brain metabolism and activity. When it comes to some point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a chronic, relapsing illness. Then, those who addicted to drugs suffer from a compulsive drug craving and usage and cannot quit by themselves. In that particular situation, treatment is needed to end this compulsive behavior. So, when individuals use drugs, they react in a destructive, passive, dependent manner.

This drug abuse activity remains one of the nation’s critical domestic problems, linked to crime, neglect of children, family violence, incomplete education, homelessness, AIDS, high health care costs, urban decay, and diminished economic competitiveness 1.

This issue of drug has attracted many people’s attention especially the government, to combat the drug abuse. For example, in Malaysia, the government has come out with many ways to fight the scourge of drug at all levels, including the setting to rehabilitate drug users. Apart from that, National Association for the prevention of Drug(PEMADAM) also held ‘anti-dadah’ programmes and campaign to fight drug.(New Straits Times, Sept.10, 2003)