War on drugs must be joint effort: Seminar

JAKARTA (JP): The government, law enforcers and the public must be enlisted in the war on drugs or efforts to eradicate the country's growing drug problem will be doomed to failure, speakers and participants in a seminar on drug addiction concluded on Monday.

They urged the central government to immediately implement a nationwide campaign against illegal drug use.

Among the measures they recommended was for custom officials at the country's international airports and seaports to strictly control the flow of goods entering from particular countries.

"The media also should also be careful in running reports and pictures of drug-related cases," said participant Faisal from a drug rehabilitation center whose son was once an addict.

Other participants and speakers in the one-day seminar sponsored by Kompas daily at Bentara Budaya arts center in Central Jakarta also agreed with the recommendation that the government establish an independent police drug unit, whose members could include civilians.

They also condemned the involvement of police and military officers in drugs, including dealing, and said it must stopped.

"I have evidence that certain police personnel have sold the drugs they confiscated from their raids. That's why the price of drugs always drops after the police conduct their raids," said entertainer Connie Constantia, who has a son who was addicted.

Titled "The Disaster of Drug Addicts", the seminar presented Connie, lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat, social therapist Ong Leong Wah from Malaysia and several operators of drug rehabilitation centers as speaker.

The seminar also touched on the growing prevalence of citizen's arrests of suspected drug dealers and users, which have at times resulted in violence.

"Drug dealers, if proven, deserve to be destroyed," Henry, whose son continues to battle a drug problem, said angrily.

But a school principal stood up and told the lawyer that violence was not the solution.

"Please... we don't have to kill the drug dealers. What if the dealers were your own children?"

Henry remained silent.

Dirty tricks

According to the lawyer, he has started arresting suspected drug addicts and dealers before handing them over to the police.

He said the action was justified because dealers used "dirty ways" to get adolescents hooked on drugs.

"You know how many youths from the poor families can get drugs for free? How? Once the poor kids are addicted, they become great brokers for the dealers who don't need to pay out much in their work," Henry said.

"As long as the kids could get drugs for their own needs, it is more than enough for them."

He said the government should stop heavy funding of its drug prevention bodies because their efforts proved useless.

"They deserve to be closed. Everybody can see that the number of addicts has grown rapidly as has drug distribution."

Joyce Djaelani Gordon from Harapan Permata Hati Kita center for addiction treatment and recovery, and senior researcher Irwanto of Center for Societal Development Studies of Atmajaya University said the involvement of many "important people" obstructed the efforts to fight drugs.

"That's why the drug problem can't be stopped only through the matter of law, which is not effective here," Irwanto said.

Many Jakartans have been stunned at reports of drug distribution in elementary schools in slum areas, with dealers reportedly threatening the children not to tell their parents.

Data from the hospital for drug dependency patients (RSKO) showed the city has about 130,000 drug addicts.

Irwanto believed the actual number could reach one-tenth of the city's 10 million population.

Henry and Connie told of their harrowing experiences in trying to cure their children of drug addiction.

"My second son was influenced four years ago when he was 16 years old," Henry said. "I have tried my best -- from gentle words to slaps -- to help him beat his addiction, but it has all been in vain."

Henry said he enrolled his son in several famous drug treatment centers, including the Gontor Islamic boarding school, and enlisted him in the Marines.

"But it was only effective for about six months before he went back to his addiction."

His son is now in the Yayasan Pengasih treatment center.

Connie said physical punishment did not cure her son of his addiction.

"At the time, beatings or any kind of harsh action could not stop him from his drug use until we tried the religious approach."

She said her son was now cured and preparing to enter the clergy. (ind/bsr)