ABSTRACT
With its slogan, Perang Dadah Habis-habisan 2.0 (War Against Drugs 2.0), the National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) in Malaysia, also known as Agensi Antidadah Kebangsaan (AADK), has successfully involved the community fighting against the nation's number one social ill. But despite this commendable effort, the statistics of drug abuse continued to increase dramatically within a short period of 6 years, from 541 cases in 2014 to 20,313 cases in 2020 (National Anti-Drugs Agency, 2020). It had also been reported that 14,850 of the 20,313 registered drug cases in Malaysia involved youths below 39 years old (National Anti-Drugs Agency, 2020). The disturbing state of the escalating trend of youth involvement in drug abuse unquestionably calls for an urgent and critical solution. Crowdsourcing has advanced to be one of the most effective means of reaching and engaging millions of people in a short period. Driven by new technologies and networking abilities, crowdsourcing has made a collective contribution of ideas, time, expertise, and even a means for community initiatives for problem-solving to become considerably easier and omnipresent. This case study examines the potential of crowdsourcing as an intervention and prevention tool in the design and implementation of public relations communication strategies specifically to combat drug abuse and illicit drug intake among youths in Malaysia.
