'Drug abuse found in primary schools'

JAKARTA (JP): Drug abuse has become so widespread in most big Indonesian cities that it is found among primary school pupils, a leading antidrug campaigner said yesterday.

"Various surveys have found that in big cities, particularly metropolitan Jakarta, hardly any high schools are free from drug abuse," said Putera Astaman, who heads Bersama, an umbrella organization for non-governmental organizations striving to prevent drug abuse.

"We even found incidents of abuses of psychotropic drugs in some primary schools," Putera, a retired police major general, told a media conference to announce activities for International Anti-Narcotics Day on June 26.

He did not give details of the surveys.

"The surveys obviously show that drugs have penetrated nearly every area of society," Putera said.

Putera, a former operations director at the National Police, said society had paid a high price for failing to contain drug abuse.

He recalled vividly the Kramatjati bus crash outside Jakarta last year in which 33 people died, some were burnt alive. "They found nipam pills in the driver's pocket, and learned that he had been using the drug for 14 years.

The seizures of large amounts of Ecstasy pills from locals and foreigners over the years also indicated that drug abuse was becoming widespread, he said.

He did not rule out the possibility that drug abuse, along with alcoholism, had influenced student brawls, football hooliganism, workers' protests that turned violent, the riots around the country in recent years and the brutality in the recent election campaign.

He said youths were particularly vulnerable to drug abuse.

"They are like dry weeds that are highly inflammable. They can be triggered by political, economic, religious, sports or other social factors," he said.

The highlight of this year's International Anti-Narcotics Day will be a morning walkathon on Sunday, June 22. The walkathon will start and finish at the National Monument in Central Jakarta.

Organizers hope that about 6,000 people will take part.

There will also be shows and exhibitions on June 26, and awards to recognize people who helped fight drug abuse. (11)