{
  "id": 304629,
  "title": "Drug abuse cases involving children on the rise in Terengganu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/drug-abuse-cases-involving-children-on-the-rise-in-terengganu",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-08T08:51:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/08/drug-abuse-cases-involving-children-on-the-rise-in-terengganu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Terengganu's national anti-drugs agency reported a significant rise in drug abuse cases involving children aged 10 to 14 in the first quarter of 2026. Director-General Ruslin Jusoh highlighted that there was a 16.7% increase in such cases, with seven children falling victim to drug-related activities in the current period, compared to six cases in the same timeframe last year. This concerning trend, which has gone up from six such cases last year, demands immediate attention from authorities. Jusoh also noted that the total number of drug addicts in the state had decreased by 7.2% to 7,582 people, but emphasized that this reduction is merely the start of the fight against drug abuse in Terengganu. He pointed out that the drug addiction rate in Dungun had risen by 8.4% in the first quarter of 2026, indicating that the problem remains widespread.",
  "summary": "AADK director-general Ruslin Jusoh says seven children aged 10 to 14 were involved in drug-related cases in the first quarter of 2026.",
  "key_points": [
    "16.7% rise in drug abuse cases involving children aged 10-14 in Terengganu's first quarter of 2026",
    "Seven children victims of drug-related activities this period, up from six last year",
    "Total drug addicts in state decreased by 7.2% to 7,582 people"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}