Parents told to be wary of drug abuse threat

Parents told to be wary of drug abuse threat

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie warned Indonesian parents
yesterday to step up their vigilance over the rising danger of
drug abuse by the young generation.

The President said parents were the ones most responsible for
their children, though teachers and society also play an
important role in their education and maturation process.

According to official statistics only 0.065 percent of the
total population, or 130,000 people, are drug addicts.

"Other countries' experiences show that the real number is
actually about 10 times that of the official data," Habibie
warned during a commemoration of the International Day Against
Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the State Palace yesterday.

Present at the ceremony were Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, Minister
of Justice Muladi, Minister of Social Services Justika Sjarifudin
Baharsjah and dozens of social activists.

Habibie said success in eradicating drug abuse would depend
much on the tireless efforts of the whole nation to prevent youth
from this horrifying addiction.

"Various research shows that less religious people have a
higher risk of becoming addicts rather than those who have a
strong religious background," Habibie noted. (prb)