COVER STORY
Drug abuse is a serious problem.
The drug abuse is growing and
ever-increasing numbers of youth
are becoming addicted. With no
actual number of users in Indonesia,
approximations are based on the
number of individuals seeking
treatment, estimated to be around
1.5 million people (World Health
Organization, 2010). Most of these
are between the ages of 13-25. Many
young people, unaware of the danger of
drugs, begin trying drugs in their teens.
Are we safe from drug problem? How
does the problem begin?
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THE SPH LINK JANUARY 2018
A
s we become teenagers, admittedly
we are faced with peer pressure of
wanting to fit in, to be accepted by our
friends, and becoming part of a group
becomes the utmost importance.
Saying no to a clubbing invitation can have painful
consequence of being labeled as the “uncool kid.”
Moreover, peer pressure often comes in as the
devil in sheep’s clothing. Think about your friend
who tells you, “let’s drink and just have fun” or
“hey, it’s just weed.” Of course it does sound
fun, the idea of being with friends and share an
intensely drug-induced pleasure – until someone
winds up in hospital.
Accessibility to drug is another factor contrib-
uting to drug abuse among youth. Getting drugs
in Indonesia is never a problem, with drugs being
sold easily in clubs, campuses and street vendors.
In December last year, a schoolteacher was even
convicted of selling drugs to her students. Al-
though government has made effort to address the
issue of drug supply through frequent raiding of
restaurants and clubs, it has not proven effective
as it is complicated by the open secret that drug
dealing is tied to politics and security forces.
JANUARY 2018 THE LINK
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