PENANG: Local men here are often keen to get sex stimulants to help boost their performance in bed.

While some men prefer to consume various herbal products, many instead opted to buy unauthorised sex stimulant drugs from roadside peddlers.

Teenagers, married men and even senior citizens can be seen seeking out these peddlers at street markets such as the Lorong Kulit flea market, the Lorong Gaharu red-light area and pasar malams (night markets) to buy such stimulants, mostly manufactured at local backyard factories, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

However, these sexual stimulants, consisting of a concoction of herbs and drugs, do not have the Health Ministry's approval and the peddlers were not registered pharmacists under the ministry.

The phenomena, however, is not new.

Illegal sex stimulants have been easily available at these roadside stalls for a long time and costumers have always formed a beeline to buy them.

A check showed that one can buy an illegal sex stimulant, either in form of herbs, pills, capsules, lotions, oil and creams, from these unauthorised peddlers for between RM10 and RM20 each.

The peddlers show certain pictorial proofs to substantiate their claims that their illegal sex stimulant products can work and are "useful and powerful".

Male chauvinism

More so, their sales pitch often instills insecurity among their customers - without the "extra power" of these products, your wives or girlfriend would flirt with other men, they say.

Studies done by various organisations, such as the Health Ministry, Malaysian Psychiatric Association and Consumer Association of Penang (CAP), revealed that male chauvinism was the main reason behind the popularity of these products.

Men, being men, are constantly seeking to enhance their performance in bed because for them "sexual ability mirrored their manliness".

The industry is clearly taken advantage of the ever-growing demand to produce illegal sex stimulants for a quick profit.

CAP has long warned consumers not to buy these stimulants, many of which have proven to produce side effects.

For instance, unwitting consumers tend to buy certain illegal 'viagras' from these self-acclaimed roadside pharmacists, believing that these drugs would treat erectile dysfunction.

Worse still, those who do not suffer from erectile dysfunction are buying these drugs, which are found to have been adulterated with Tadafil or Cialis - an anti-erectile dysfunction drug.

CAP's research also revealed that the men bought these 'viagras' believing that the drugs would enhance their sexual prowess.

"The research disclosed that these illegal 'viagras' have major side-effects. It is better for those suffering from erectile dysfunction to seek professional medical advice, rather than buying unregistered products from the roadside," said CAP president SM Mohamed Idris.

Traders' free rein

The influential consumer organisation had has called on the Health Ministry on numerous occasions to check on the sales of such illegal stimulants.

However, ministry officials have so far been lukewarm in their response to flush out these illegal drugs from the streets.

Although the officials have constantly warned traders of serious repercussions, Mohamed Idris lamented that CAP had not received much information on the actual action taken.

"The ministry should conduct raids on these drug traders, including peddlers, manufacturers and distributors.

"Offenders should be named, jailed and fined. This could be deterrent to the culprits and would-be culprits," said Mohamed Idris.

In the first two months this year, the ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Division had seized RM15 million worth of unregistered male sex stimulant products.

For 2003, the division seized RM7 million worth of products while in 2002, RM4 million.

Statistics and public demand clearly showed that the illegal sex stimulant trade is a million-dollar industry.

So long as there is popular demand and the lack of enforcement, it will continue to thrive.

"The problem can only be eradicated through effective public educational campaign and cohesive action by the authorities," suggested an optimistic Mohamed Idris.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer