BNN: War on drugs must begin before victims fall

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has stressed that the war on narcotics must not begin only after individuals have already become victims. BNN Chief Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto stated that the fight should start much earlier, within families, schools, the environments where children grow up, and with the ability to say no to drugs. “That is why BNN has initiated the Ananda Bersinar programme, or the National Anti-Narcotics Action starting with Drug-Free Children,” Suyudi said during the commemoration of International Anti-Narcotics Day 2026 in Bogor Regency, West Java, on Thursday. He explained that the programme represents a transformation of BNN’s prevention strategy, placing children as the primary subjects of protection by building character, self-resilience, life skills, and literacy on the dangers of narcotics, while strengthening the roles of family, schools, and the social environment. BNN has designed the Ananda Bersinar programme to align with the major human resource development agenda led by President Prabowo Subianto. A child who is physically healthy, well-nourished, and well-educated, but lacks the ability to resist narcotics, remains at risk of losing their future, he noted. To strengthen the drug prevention ecosystem, BNN, together with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, has promoted the integration of an Anti-Drug Curriculum (IKAN) into the learning process through existing subjects. Suyudi added that his agency has also initiated the strengthening of the scouting movement through the Anti-Narcotics Scout Task Force (Saka Antinarkotika), expanded community-based education, and provided a 24-hour BNN Call Centre 184 as a channel for information and public complaints. “This step is taken while maintaining the confidentiality of the complainant’s identity, in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations,” he said.