40 students expelled over drugs

JAKARTA: Trisakti University has expelled 40 students over the past three years for using drugs, rector Thoby Mutis said on Wednesday.

"To take real action to combat drug use, I issued decree No. 342/1999 to dismiss any student, employee and lecturer at the university involved in drugs," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The university has also established an antidrug team, which is in charge of fighting drug use and training volunteers to prevent drugs being sold on campus.

According to the National Narcotics Agency, the number of drug users in the country has increased by 100 percent over the past three years, from two million in 1999 to four million this year. Most of the drug users are young people, including students.

Two people die every day in the country from drug-related causes.--JP