Drug abusers in Riau Islands constitute 1.7 percent of some four million, who use drugs nationwide.Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Office, Riau Islands Province, recorded 16 thousand workers in Batam Island being involved in drug abuse according to results of a survey conducted along with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.
The survey was conducted in 16 Indonesian cities, including Batam, last year.
"During that time, we focused our survey on the influence of drugs on workers, students, and households," Head of the BNN Office Brigadier General Richard Nainggolan stated in Tanjungpinangm, Riau Islands, on Tuesday (June 25, 2019).
In 2016, the BNN had collaborated with the University of Indonesia for a survey on drug abusers in Riau Islands, in general.
The survey results revealed that the province's some 26,540 residents were involved in the abuse of contraband, he noted.
"Drug abusers in Riau Islands constitute 1.7 percent of some four million, who use drugs nationwide," he pointed out.
Nainggolan noted that Indonesia is currently in a state of drug emergency since no region in the country is free from drugs.
The abuse of drugs has also affected various elements of the community, raising concern that it could impact the nation's progress, competitiveness, and future.
Hence, he noted that the BNN will undertake rigorous efforts to curtail the impact of drugs on all aspects of life by offering counseling to families, rehabilitating drug addicts or drug abusers, and acting sternly against drug traffickers.
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Translator: Ogen, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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