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.