Young meet to seek solution to drug

Young meet to seek solution to drug

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali

Some 200 drug-free young people from at least 23 countries in the
Asia Pacific region are gathering for the first-ever Asian youth
congress on drug abuse prevention in Sanur, Bali, to seek
solutions to rampant drug abuse among their peers.

Veronica Colondam, chief executive officer of Yayasan Cinta
Anak Bangsa (YCAB), Indonesia's leading non-governmental
organization working in drug abuse prevention, said on Monday
that young people should initiate effective prevention programs
for drug abusers.

"There are three reasons why an effective prevention program
should be initiated by the young: they know why their peers are
attracted to drugs; they are in touch with the latest trends in
the youth world; they know how to transmit the message
effectively to their peers," Colondam said.

The four-day congress was officially opened by chairman of the
National Narcotics Board (BNN) of Indonesia, General Da'i
Bachtiar.

Also present at the congress opening ceremony were patron of
YCAB A.M. Hendropriyono, director of the Colombo Plan Drug
Advisory Program Tay Bian How, deputy director for demand
reduction at the National Drug Control Policy Executive Office of
the president of the USA Dr. Andrea Barthwell, BNN executive
director Nurfaizi and Miss Indonesia 2002 Melania Putria Dewita
Sari.

The congress is jointly organized by the Drug Advisory
Programme of the Colombo Plan, the U.S. Department of State Bureau
for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, BNN and
YCAB.

Colondam said that the congress was expected to pave the way
for the establishment of drug abuse primary prevention programs,
which were both specifically devised by and targeted the youth
population.

The congress would also serve as a medium through which young
people from the Asia Pacific's diverse political, economic and
cultural backgrounds would have a chance to communicate the
specific needs and conditions in their own respective countries.
They would also develop stronger networks and cooperation with
their colleagues from various countries.

"By the end of the congress there will be a resolution and a
youth pledge, drafted by the participants, on drug abuse
prevention," she said.

Referring to the main theme of the congress, Facing the
Challenge, Colondam stated that drug abuse primary prevention
efforts in Indonesia currently had three major challenges.

"Our recent survey has shown that eight percent of young
people surveyed admitted to have experimented with drugs at least
once, whereas one out of four continued using them. Therefore,
our major challenges are to prevent the remaining 92 percent of
young people from being introduced to drugs, suppressing the
demand from that eight percent, and, eventually, to turn the tide
of drugs becoming an accepted part of modern lifestyles," she
said.

During the period August 2000 to March 2002 a rapid assessment
survey was conducted by YCAB in 10 major Indonesian cities, which
involved some 3,700 respondents aged 12 to 19. The researchers
discovered that curiosity (48 percent) and peer influence (32
percent) were the two main reasons why respondents used drugs in
the first place. Only 18 percent of them listed family problems
or stress as the reason for their initial involvement with drugs.

The results of the survey were quite disturbing, particularly
when viewed from a wider perspective. With the total of junior
and high school students at around 15 million, eight percent
could mean around 1.2 million of them had tried drugs at least
once.