BNN's Strategy to Prevent Drug Trafficking via Vaping in the Digital Era
The National Narcotics Board (BNN) is committed to combating drugs in the digital era, employing specific strategies to prevent drug use amidst current technological advancements.
This was stated by the Independent Research of the Digital Clinic, led by Associate Prof Dr Devie Rahmawati. Devie initially addressed how vaping research has evolved from a product-based issue into a socio-digital ecosystem.
“The greatest challenge is not when young people have already started using, but when a risk loses its perception as a risk. Something that is constantly visible, discussed, and present in social circles can gradually feel normal,” Devie stated in her report on Friday (18/9/2026).
The study was conducted using web scraping, collecting targeted data from the internet based on specific topics and criteria, alongside evidence synthesis and cross-source triangulation to map how products, digital content, peers, access, and behaviour are interconnected.
She assessed that vaping is far more complex than simply a matter of an individual choosing to use or not use a product. The research found that vaping in Indonesia has developed into a socio-digital ecosystem where products, content, peers, family, lifestyle, retail, and digital platforms interact.
These findings indicate that what needs to be guarded against is not just the product itself, but the process that makes vaping use gradually feel normalised. The analysis was conducted in stages, examining interrelated aspects ranging from epidemiology, products, digital exposure, family, retail, and regulation, to the evaluation of prevention efforts.
The final result, Devie continued, is a mapping of the mechanisms through which the normalisation of vaping can form.
“Algorithms do not work alone; there are friends, family, products, communities, and the social environment. Digital issues ultimately remain human issues,” said Digital Clinic researcher Wiratri Anindhita.
These findings serve as a basis for the Digital Clinic to review prevention needs and their connection to the social networks already established by BNN. After mapping the vaping issue and establishing the problem structure, the research found that BNN’s current prevention direction is highly relevant to the identified risk characteristics.
BNN is considered to possess essential assets as threats become more complex, including experience in prevention, community networks, involvement in schools and communities, attention to the younger generation, and the capacity for cross-sector collaboration. The research release also noted the strength of BNN’s prevention networks within society, schools, and communities.
“We mapped the problem first. It was only after that map was formed that it became clear that the social prevention strength built by BNN is increasingly relevant to the challenges facing today’s youth,” said Digital Clinic researcher Andhita Yukihana.
“A strong institution is not only capable of facing visible threats, but is also capable of reading changes before those changes become much larger,” added Yukihana.
The Digital Clinic noted that while digital spaces can accelerate the spread of norms, youth networks can also accelerate the spread of healthy norms. The existence of 214 ‘Bersinar’ (Shining) Villages/Sub-districts demonstrates that BNN’s prevention efforts have reached the environments where daily social norms are formed. This network is relevant because the research places the social environment as a key space where the behavioural norms of the younger generation are shaped.
“This is what is interesting about BNN. While many see technology as the answer, BNN possesses something algorithms do not: humans, peers, and communities. In the digital era, these real social networks become even more valuable,” added Wiratri, who is also a member of the RKD Foundation.
The Digital Clinic also commended BNN’s consistency in prioritising prevention through the strengthening of the ‘War on Drugs for Humanity’ strategy via ‘Ananda Bersinar’, digital transformation, and integrated narcotics eradication.
The Digital Clinic believes this choice is vital, considering that eradication handles threats that have already occurred, whereas prevention seeks to ensure that threats never have the chance to grow. The study concluded that BNN is not starting from scratch; the foundations of prevention are already in place, and scientific findings show these foundations are increasingly relevant to facing the changing risk landscape for the younger generation.
“The greatest victory in prevention is not only when we succeed in stopping something dangerous, but when a generation never feels the need to start,” said Devie.
“The conclusion of this study is the mapping of the vaping normalisation mechanism—a depiction of how continuous exposure to products, promotion, social environment, and ease of access can make vaping gradually be regarded as something ordinary or acceptable in society,” she added.