Students will be forced to have their eyes scanned in a trial of technology for detecting drug use amid concerns that more children are turning to illegal drugs, a report said today.

Deputy Education Minister Noh Omar said the pilot project would start next month in a selected Kuala Lumpur secondary school to test eye scanners which cost RM2,000 each.

"The scanners will not only identify students under the influence of drugs but also the types of drugs they are consuming," he was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.

"If a test shows a student is under the influence of drugs, he will not be handed to the police, but will be grouped with other students similarly detected and they will be sent for counselling," he said.

Noh said the scans would be backed up by urine tests, and the education ministry would purchase the eye scanners if the trial was successful.

Random tests

The government currently conducts random urine tests on students to test for drug use.

The government has said 24,912 children from 599 schools were tested last year, 90 of whom showed positive for drug use.

Police said last week the number of school students nabbed for drug-related offences quadrupuled to 225 cases in 2005, from 59 cases in 2003, the newspaper said.

Of 2,196 addicted drug-users recorded nationwide in January, 388 said they started using drugs as early as 13 years old, according to the National Anti-Drugs Agency.

Their drugs of choice were, in order, morphine, heroin, cannabis and methamphetamines, the agency said.