'They need social and medical rehabilitation, so the BNN is pushing local administrations to provide drug rehabilitation clinics,' said BNN chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar in Mataram, on Thursday.

Law No.35/2009 on narcotics encourages drug users to undergo rehabilitation.

According to Anang, rehabilitation is crucial to not only prevent drug addicts from relapses but also to reduce illicit drug trafficking in Indonesia.

Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana said that as of April, Indonesia had a total of 52,661 drug abuse-related detainees and prisoners. Of the total, 14,154 individuals were drug addicts and the rest were drug operators, couriers and dealers. They were now imprisoned in 550 prisons in regions across the country.

'The trend of drug abuse continues to increase. During the period of January-April, there has been an increase in drug abuse by about 10 percent compared to the same period last year,' said Denny, adding that up to now, Indonesia had no prison specially designed to deliver rehabilitation to drug-addicted detainees and prisoners.

In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the BNN recorded that at least 140,000 or 1.3 percent of a total 4.5 million people in the province were drug users.

'This should be immediately dealt with. If not, the figure is predicted to increase to 1.6 percent this year,' said BNN NTB chairman Sr. Comr. Mufti Djufnir. (ebf)

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