Govt establishes new agency to combat rising drug abuse

Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Confronted with an alarming increase in the number of drug users, the government has set up a more powerful agency to combat drug abuse.

State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin said on Tuesday that President Megawati Soekarnoputri had issued Decree No. 12/2002 on the establishment of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), which has the authority to investigate and take legal action against drug users and pushers.

"Drug abuse is an issue that needs immediate attention... we need an institution with more teeth to tackle this situation because the number of drug abusers is increasing," State Minister Feisal said after meeting Vice President Hamzah Haz here on Tuesday.

Indonesia has seen a dramatic rise in the use of narcotics and other banned substances, changing from a mere transit point on international drug smuggling routes to a burgeoning market for drugs.

A survey conducted by the Program for Management and Eradication of Drugs and Narcotics Abuse (P4) -- a consortium of non-governmental organizations -- at drug rehabilitation centers, schools and public places in Jakarta in October 2000 revealed that an estimated 3.4 million people in Jakarta, which has a population of 12 million, were known to be drug abusers. The figure showed a 70 percent increase from 1999, when the number of drug users was estimated at 2 million.

The new narcotics agency, which is scheduled to operate on April 1, is to replace the current National Narcotics Coordination Agency, which has been criticized for not having the authority to investigate and prosecute drug abusers.

According to Feisal, BBN will report directly to the President. Its members include the National Police, the attorney general, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Health, as well as the Food and Drug Control Agency.

He said he would soon meet with National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and ministry officials to discuss candidates from each respective departments.

The agency will be headed by the National Police chief. It will have its own budget and regional offices, which will be required to coordinate with a central team.

Feisal said seven operational task forces would be created to be in charge of, among others, implementing the law and investigating suspected drug abusers.

"The Vice President expressed the hope of seeing effective coordination between the institutions and not just the delegation of responsibilities to other departments," said Feisal, adding that Hamzah wanted harsher punishment for drug users and dealers.

Drug abuse in the capital has reached a worryingly high level, not only in terms of the massive number of drug abusers but also in terms of the early age at which youngsters encounter drugs.

Data obtained from police records last year indicated that drug abusers are not only adults, but also teenagers and even children still at elementary school.

As many as 1,000 high school students were recently caught using drugs, and some 166 high schools across the capital reported drug cases.

The worsening situation seems to indicate the government's failure, so far, of dealing effectively with combating drug trafficking.

President Megawati has called for harsher punishments against drug dealers in a bid to help curb drug abuse.