Parents reluctant to admit to kids' drug abuse: Police

JAKARTA (JP): The real number of drug abusers, especially teenagers, is much higher than reported due to parents' reluctance to report drug problems in their families, a police officer said yesterday.

The head of the City Police's Directorate of Community Counseling, Col. Ahmad Hasan, said most abusers' parents could not bear the feeling of humiliation that accompanied disclosing the problems to others.

"Most parents just don't have the heart to report their drug- addicted children to the police," Ahmad said.

"They are also too embarrassed to take their drug-abused children to doctors or rehabilitation centers for comprehensive treatment," said Ahmad after officially opening a five-day National Discipline Movement training course for youths at the Cibubur Camping Ground, East Jakarta.

About 125 youths from high schools, colleges, scout troops and other youth organizations in Jakarta are attending the course.

Ahmad said the real number was thought to be about twice that reported to the police or being treated at hospitals or rehabilitation centers.

However, he could not give any figures for police estimates of the percentage of teenagers who were involved in drugs.

Ahmad cited as an example that there were at least 43 teenagers now participating in drug rehabilitation programs in the Pamardi Siwi Rehabilitation Center for Drug Addicts in East Jakarta.

"About 20 of the 43 people are drugs abusers. The rest are ill-behaved teenagers," he said.

The number of teenagers taking drugs increases year after year, he said, but declined to give details.

He also said Indonesia had become a target for drugs distribution since 1993.

"Drugs distributors see the country's huge teenage population as an opportunity to sell the drugs here," he said.

He said teenagers usually began with marijuana or cheap drugs like barbiturate-type Nipam or BK pills.

Stopping addicts from taking the drugs was not easy, he said.

"It cannot be solved overnight. It takes time, because the addicts need time to gradually distance themselves from the drugs and fellow drugs users."

The effort also needed strong financial backing because the rehabilitation process for drug addicts was expensive, he added.

"The money is needed to buy drugs for the addicts during the treatment. They still need to be supplied with drugs, whose amount is gradually reduced until they can manage not to take any drugs at all," Ahmad said.

He said the rehabilitation efforts, including drug-counseling programs at schools, had been started to help eliminate drug problems, especially among teenagers.

He hoped that the 1997 Psychotropic Law Number 5, which imposes heavy penalties on drug users, dealers, and producers, could help prevent the spread of drugs among teenagers. The law was passed by the House of Representatives in March.

Those who are convicted of involvement in drugs face a minimum sentence of four years imprisonment and a Rp 150 million (US$52,500) fine. (cst)