Parents reluctant to admit to kids' drug abuse: Police
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)