Tangerang worried on drug abuse at school

Tangerang worried on drug abuse at school

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

The Tangerang municipal administration is concerned about the
apparent rise in drug use at high school level and fears it is
connected with drugs smuggled through the area's Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport.

Deputy Mayor Deddy Safei said on Wednesday there were strong
indications drug abuse had widened among students at junior and
senior high schools.

"Drugs do not only destroy the morality, mentality and
physical condition of students. They kill them. Therefore, we
must provide special attention to children of school age because
they are very prone to drug abuse," he said.

The Anti-Narcotics National Movement (Granat) estimates that
an average of 1,000 youngsters in the country die each year from
drug-related deaths and says about 7.5 million people nationwide
are drug addicts.

As a preventive step, the administration launched its Anti-
Drug Program in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and
Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) in 2001.

Municipality health agency head Nuriman Machyudin said since
2001, more than 1,200 students from 25 junior high schools and
about 1,000 students from 10 senior high schools have been
trained to become active members of the Anti-Drug Students
Movement (Pantang).

In the group, students join regular discussions about drug
abuse and its impact. The meetings are held monthly at 56 junior
high schools, 10 senior high schools and Karang Taruna youth
groups in 13 districts in the municipality.

The anti-drug campaign is supported by urine tests held
regularly at schools, both for students and teachers, and at
municipal administration offices.

On Wednesday, Deddy welcomed 500 new members to Pantang, most
of which were junior high school students. The meeting was
witnessed by YCAB secretary general Iskandar Irwan Hukom, health
ministry officials, school principals and teachers.