BPOM Launches 'SIGAP OM' to Prevent Drug Abuse Among Teenagers

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has launched a digital innovation, the Information Centre for the Anticipation of Drug and Food Abuse Movement (SIGAP OM), to prevent the abuse of certain drugs (OOT) among teenagers. BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar stated that Generation Z, numbering around 71 million people or 24.9 per cent of Indonesia’s total population, is the main driver of the demographic bonus until 2035. He noted that the health quality and productivity of this generation are therefore vital investments for the nation’s future. “Currently, there is a serious challenge in the form of OOT abuse, namely drugs that should be used for medical treatment but are misused to obtain certain effects. OOT are often under the radar because they are easy to obtain, relatively cheap, and are considered to carry a lower legal risk compared to narcotics or psychotropic substances,” Taruna said at SMAN 70 Jakarta on Thursday. The SIGAP OM innovation is designed as an education and information hub regarding the dangers of OOT abuse, targeting public education, including parents, teachers, and students. Pharmacologically, OOT abuse can impact the central nervous system, trigger dependency, brain damage, severe mental disorders such as depression, suicide risk, and death from overdose. “The long-term impacts can also reduce the quality of human resources and weaken national resilience, as with the history of the Opium Wars that crippled China in the past,” he said. BPOM also noted supervisory successes through joint operations with law enforcement in West Java and Central Java, which uncovered illegal factories and seized more than 1 billion illegal OOT tablets, including tramadol, trihexyphenidyl, and dextromethorphan. This operation prevented the circulation of illegal products with an economic value reaching Rp398 billion. “For BPOM, this success is not measured by the economic value of the evidence, but by how many lives and futures of the younger generation we have managed to save. Law enforcement is important, but upstream prevention is the top priority,” Taruna stated. The activity also resulted in a joint commitment involving nine stakeholders to improve coordination, supervision of OOT distribution, strengthening communication, information, and education (KIE), and integrated law enforcement in accordance with applicable regulations. “I affirm BPOM’s commitment to continue providing healthy creative spaces for teenagers. We also invite the public and students to reject all forms of drug abuse and increase vigilance in their respective environments,” Taruna concluded.