Rising drug abuse worries Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday he was
\nconcerned by the steady growth of drug addiction despite
\ninternational efforts to curb drug abuse and trafficking.<\/p>\n
He pledged that the government would keep fighting drug abuse
\nand try to rehabilitate addicts.<\/p>\n
\"Traffickers mainly target young people because they are the
\nmost lucrative market,\" Soeharto said in a speech, read by
\nMinister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suweno, to mark
\nthe International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.<\/p>\n
A private foundation for drug rehabilitation released a
\nstatement Tuesday which said that none of Jakarta's junior or
\nsenior high schools were drug free.<\/p>\n
The Bersama foundation's chairman, Putera Astaman, issued the
\nstatement after meeting President Soeharto at the Bina Graha
\npresidential office.<\/p>\n
The statement contained the findings of surveys which said
\ndrug abuse had reached alarming proportions.<\/p>\n
\"Several surveys show that there are no junior or senior high
\nschools in big cities, especially Jakarta, which are free of drug
\nabuse problems,\" said Putera, a retired police major general.<\/p>\n
He said drugs and alcohol might be part of the reason for the
\nrecent riots because people became violent under their influence.
\nHe was referring to the widespread election riots which claimed
\nmore than a hundred lives.<\/p>\n
\"Recent cases indicate that drug abuse has spread widely in
\nsociety,\" Putera said.<\/p>\n
In an international appeal, the United Nations Secretary-
\nGeneral Kofi A. Annan said yesterday: \"Our first priority must be
\nto reduce the exposure of young people to drug abuse.<\/p>\n
\"It is alarming that many individuals are beginning to
\nexperiment with drugs at a very young age,\" Annan said. \"The
\nproblems are enormous, but I am convinced that individuals,
\ncommunities and governments, acting together, can make a
\ndifference.\" (06)<\/p>",
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