Police in Jakarta and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) recently stepped up efforts to combat drug addiction. June banners in front of police stations such as at Gatot Subroto said addicts who turned themselves in to police were not prosecuted and instead were sent to rehabilitation, free of charge.

"BNN makes it easy for drug addicts who want to quit, but do not know how to do it. They can enrol at the Indonesian National Police office in (Metro Jaya) to participate in a rehabilitation programme administered by BNN," Jakarta Police spokesman Rikwanto told Khabar Southeast Asia.

About 150 people took advantage of the offer each day, including those who went directly to health clinics, according to BNN Director of Community Participation Siswandi. The programme was available June 1st to 30th.

The effort--part of Concern about Narcotics Month – enjoyed widespread community support.

"Thousands of people participated in the programme. They are involved in various campaigns to tell people that drugs are no good," said 34-year-old Jakarta resident Yeyet Mardiono. "This was a really positive programme that may help to reduce the number of drug addicts in Indonesia."

Exceeding capacity

However, efforts to help addicts recover are severely hampered by a lack of facilities. There are about 4 million drug addicts in Indonesia, well above BNN capacity, according to BNN head Anang Iskandar.

"BNN so far has four rehabilitation places; they are located in West Java, Makassar, Samarinda and Riau," Anang told Khabar. "So far we only have capacity of 2,000 people and the rest are still depending on treatment at the hospital."

Only 18,000 addicts have received treatment at rehab centres, according to Siswandi. "We need more effort to help with these numbers," he said. "Rehabilitation is certainly better than prison."

Former addict urges youths to quit

Fredolin Deda, a 21-year-old student from East Nusa Tenggara, said he was in rehab in Bandung for two months.

"The rehab place trained you to focus on social activities. There are also teachers and religious leaders to help," he told Khabar. "It is not fun to be addicted. The addiction can turn you into a different person."

Fredo, who is now drug-free, said he will encourage youths to stay away from drugs.

"I started to play music again. I have been playing for years. It heals me emotionally and brings my spirit back. Therefore, I encourage all Indonesian youths to do something that you like, enjoy and appreciate. It will make you feel different," he said.

In big cities like Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Medan, and Surabaya, many youths need help as they struggle to quit. Fredo said he hoped many of them would take advantage of the opportunity provided by the BNN and the police.

Faith can help

Agus Subekti, a cleric who spends most of his time at the Al-Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, also applauded the initiative.

"The effort implies that our government has been working intensively to crackdown on youth addiction to drugs," he told Khabar.

Agus said environmental influences lead to addiction, and suggested that the government reach out through education and religious institutions.

"It is important to figure out what is missing in the life of our youth. Maybe they just need a good spirit to be free from drugs," he said.

"As good Muslims, we should help them face these difficult situations in their lives," he said.