"I would say that all villages in Indonesia have been affected by drug trafficking from Aceh in the western tip of Sumatra to the Indonesian eastern regions," Director for Rehabilitation of Victims of Drug Abuse of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Max H Tuapattimain said,
He made the marks during a walk event organized in connection with the anniversary of the International Anti-Narcotics Day (HANI) here on Saturday.
He said that the number of narcotics addicts in Indonesia had reached 3.6 million or 1.5 percent of the total population. About 80 percent of the drug addicts were younger generations aged between 15 and 39 years old, or 50 percent aged between 15 and 29 years old.
The number of drug addicts who use intravenous injections and were exposed to HIV/AIDS reached 37.9 percent recorded up to March 2011, he said.
This figure is believed to be like the top of an iceberg because it was expected that many more others who were not yet be recorded.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) survey in 2008 pointed out that the prevalence of narcotics abuse reached 1.99 percent and in 2015 it was expected to reach 2.8 percent if no appropriate handling was carried out. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
