Drug abuse still prevalent despite war on drugs

Drug abuse still prevalent despite war on drugs

Indonesia observed the International Day Against Drug Abuse and
Illicit Drug Trafficking on June 26. The Jakarta Post's Damar
Harsanto examines drug abuse here and some ways to combat drug
taking and trafficking.

TV presenter Farhan once witnessed a friend buying drugs in an
area in North Jakarta.

"I was stunned. The drug dealer just called a boy on a bike,
who seemed to be the dealer's neighbor, gave him money and told
him to take the package. The boy came back with marijuana and he
got Rp 5,000 (less than 50 US cents) for his help," he said.

If you, like Farhan, have had a similar brush with drugs then
according to a survey, you are not alone.

The University of Indonesia (UI) and the Yayasan Cinta Anak
Bangsa (Love the Nation's Children Foundation, YCAB)'s 2003
survey on drug abuse in the city found that 75 percent of
respondents in Jakarta are familiar with drug-taking and the
business because either their family members, relatives or
friends, are involved.

Another survey by the International Labor Organization (ILO)
estimates that about 3 percent of the nation uses drugs and says
a disproportionate number of them are teenagers and youths, who
also often work as drug pushers.

Even more worrying is a survey carried out by the National
Narcotics Body (BNN) and UI in 2004, which finds that children as
young as seven years old have tried drugs and that first-time
drug users are getting younger, year-by -year.

The BNN has long blamed weak law enforcement against big-time
drug producers and distributors, as the root cause of the
problem, which it said meant there was a large supply of cheap
narcotics, from marijuana, methamphetamine (shabu-shabu), ecstasy
and heroin in the city.

However, with 16 airports and 139 ports across the country,
along with the nation's many remote and porous borders, police
have their work cut out stopping the flow of drugs into the
country. And as recent developments have shown, Indonesia is now
not just a market but also a producer.

In March, police raided a drug factory disguised as an Islamic
school in Jasinga, Bogor, just an hour's drive from Jakarta,
which is believed to have produced more than 250,000 ecstasy
pills a day since 2000.

Run by an international drug ring, the police later discovered
the raw materials for the pills were smuggled into the country
from Singapore and China.

"We're talking about a transnational crime committed by
heartless but powerful and very well-organized drug networks with
virtually unlimited resources," BNN chief Comr. Gen. Sutanto
said.

Sutanto said the country with a population of 220 million was
a lucrative drug market, with many people relying on drugs to
escape from poverty and stress, a product of big-city living.

Drugs are now cheap and easily available in the city, he said,
often supplied by pushers in small amounts at schools as well as
in the more traditional venues like nightclubs and back
alleyways.

Drug awareness educators say a two-pronged strategy is needed
to reduce illicit drug intake in society; a crackdown on the
production and distribution of drugs nationally, along with a
campaign to educate the public about the dangers of narcotics.

To be effective, they say, the strategies should involve as
many members of the community as possible, including children of
school age.

Veronica Colondam of YCAB, said parents and schools needed to
take an active role to ensure their children were not tempted by
drugs.

"This would be with the help of the 97 percent of the nation's
population who are against drugs," Veronica said.

Preventive measures alone, however, would not be enough to
fight the drug producers and pushers, she said.

"We need others to support the anti-drug drive using different
strategies, including efforts to reduce drug supplies and to
carry out harm-reduction programs ... All programs should be
implemented with the same speed and urgency."

In December 2003, the BNN signed a cooperation agreement with
the National AIDS Commission (KPA) to create a program to reduce
HIV/AIDS transmissions in the injecting drug user community.

HIV/AIDS can be easily spread by using intravenous drugs if
injectors use dirty needles.

The 2005 country report completed by the National AIDS
Commission (KPA) shows that HIV infections soared from 15.8
percent in 1999 to 47.9 percent in 2002 among injecting drug
users.

"We are pushing for the idea of establishing the KPA's
networks up to the regional level, with civil servants involved
actively in promoting the commission's program thanks to the
greater role we expect from the Ministry of Home Affairs," KPA
head Suharto said.

Another plan trialed by the Jakarta Provincial Narcotics Body
aims to pass more power downwards, to district administrations to
solve area-specific problems.

"It is the people at the district level who know the most
about drug-related problems in their respective communities, not
the police or officials in the provincial administration.
Unfortunately, (district-level officials) have little power as
they have no money to institute these programs," he said.

He said the administration would select 10 out of 44 districts
in the city for the pilot project, with each receiving funds to
finance their antidrug programs.

The district heads will chair the anti-drug project, while
police precinct chiefs will become the deputies.