BNN: Number of Drug Addicts Growing in Indonesia

Makassar, S Sulawesi (Antara) - The number of drug addicts in Indonesia has tended to increase in the past years, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) said. "Based on a survey by BNN, the number of drug addicts rose from 3.8 million in 2008 to 4.2 million in 2011," BNN director Tyaswening said here on Thursday. Tyaswening attributed the increase to lack of serious attempt in battling drug trafficking and drug smuggling into the country. BNN, therefore, took the initiative to promote campaigns against narcotics by intensifying socialization of anti narcotics law including in South Sulawesi, he said. He said the law regulation on narcotics No 35 of 2009 and government regulation No 25 of 2011 requiring drug addicts to report to the authority will soon come into force in Makassar. "BNN also has conducted socialization of the regulations in Jakarta, Lombok and Manado. The plan is to carry out socialization all over Indonesia in an attempt to prevent drug abuse and eradicate drug trafficking in line with the program to make Indonesia free of narcotics in 2015," he said. (*)