Jakarta – The government continues to demonstrate a strong commitment in efforts to realize a drug-free Indonesia. Through an integrated program, concrete steps have been taken to address the problem of drug abuse, by prioritizing a rehabilitation approach and a strategy to strengthen law enforcement against drug dealer networks.
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, explained that President Prabowo Subianto has prepared a Reserve Component (Komcad) as a rehabilitation solution for drug abuse convicts who wish to receive amnesty.
This program aims to train convicts in military skills before being deployed to the community to support national development projects such as opening agricultural land in Kalimantan and Papua.
“This rehabilitation is very important before amnesty is granted, so that they do not become a threat to society again,” said Yusril.
Currently, the government is collecting data on 44,000 prisoners who are eligible for amnesty, including drug users who should undergo rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, the Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Commissioner General Pol. Marthinus Hukom, emphasized that drug users who report themselves should not be punished, as regulated in Article 54 of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.
“The state is obliged to provide rehabilitation, not punishment, to those who report,” he said.
The BNN also prioritizes action against drug dealer networks rather than users.
“Arresting users only solves the problem on the surface. Our focus is to eradicate drug networks from upstream to downstream,” added Marthinus.
As a collaborative step, the BNN developed a Community-Based Intervention Program (IBM) that involves the community to provide effective rehabilitation support. This program aims to minimize geographical barriers, costs, and negative stigmas towards rehabilitation. The Deputy for Rehabilitation of the BNN, dr. Bina Ampera Bukit, said that the IBM program was designed to reach drug abusers in the community in a sustainable manner.
This government effort will not be optimal without active participation from the community. Community support is needed to create an environment that supports rehabilitation and eradicates the negative stigma towards former drug users.
