Most junkies teenagers: Survey

Most junkies teenagers: Survey

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

One in 10 families in Jakarta has a member involved in drug
abuse, according to a survey.

The survey found that 60 percent of the drug users came from
families earning monthly incomes below Rp 500,000 (US$59.52) and
40 percent below Rp 1 million.

Carried out by Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) in cooperation
with the National Narcotics Board and the University of Indonesia
Institute of Applied Psychology, the survey was carried out
randomly in 90 subdistricts of five Jakarta municipalities, or 33
percent of the total subdistricts in the capital, that were prone
to drug abuse. Some 3,824 families were questioned at random from
June 2003 to October 2003.

According to YCAB chief executive officer Veronica Colondam,
the purpose of the survey was to raise awareness of the speed
with which drugs were spreading and persuade them to focus more
on preventive measures.

"Our survey shows that 97 percent of Jakartans know that drugs
are dangerous and harmful to their health; yet, 80 percent of
them are still using them. It shows how dangerous our
neighborhoods have become for our families and children," she
told a media conference on Thursday.

The survey reveals that 97 percent of Jakartans are aware of
the dangers inherent in using drugs. It also indicates that 80
percent of drug addicts being treated in drug rehabilitation
hospitals are teenagers aged between 15 and 20.

"We can no longer say that people are using drugs because they
are unaware of the dangers. They are. The issue is they don't
know how to say no to drugs," she said.

Data from the Ministry of Health indicates that half of the
124,000 to 169,000 intravenous drug users are teenagers aged 15
to 24, and are HIV positive. The number of people living with
HIV/AIDS is estimated at 80,000 to 130,000.

Thus, Veronica asserted, instead of rehabilitation, YCAB
focused more on prevention programs as they were more effective
and less expensive.

"I'm not saying that the supply reduction program is useless:
Cutting the supply is important, but we often overlook the
essential role that a demand reduction program can play.

"Yes, we need to cut the supply; we need to have rehab centers
but we also need to cut the demand. We need to teach and prepare
our children how to say no to drugs as it is a skill necessary to
enable them to make the right decisions in their lives," she
said.

Data from YCAB shows that it takes US$700 to $1,200 to put a
drug addict through a detoxification program.

"If the money (for one drug addict) were used instead to run a
big campaign on how to say no to drugs, around 1,500 to 2,000
teenagers could be saved," said Veronica.

Thus, as part of efforts to raise people's awareness in
combating drug abuse, YCAB -- supported by JP Morgan, Martha
Tilaar and the United Nations Information Center -- will hold its
second YCAB-UNIC Journalism Award ceremony on June 26, which is
also commemorated as International No Drugs Day. The first award
was made on the same day last year.