DENPASAR ~

Head of Bali’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Police Brigadier General I Gusti Ketut Budiartha affirmed that a rehabilitation center to treat drug addicts will be built in 2015.

“It is expected that the construction will be started in mid or end of 2015 as the special correctional institution for narcotics will be operated in Bangli district,” he stated on Monday.

According to Budiartha, the drug prisoners can be treated at the rehabilitation center.

The drug addicts need to be treated for at least six months on an average to recover their physical and mental health at the center, but the time depends on the level of addiction.

“Usually a drug addict needs three months for medical rehab, including detoxification and memory recovery as generally the central nervous system is affected,” Budiartha stated.

Until the end of 2014, the number of drug cases involving users and dealers reached 763.

Meanwhile, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika is proposing a provincial regulation to synergize efforts for preventing and eradicating the drug menace.

“Bali used to be a transit area for the sale of drugs, and now, it is a market for drugs and not a possible producer,” he noted here on Monday.

According to Pastika, as an international tourism destination, the potential for the use of illegal drugs is high and poses a threat to the society.

“We have to anticipate all negative possibilities. Strategic actions have to be taken, and one of them is through a regulation to synergize all actions and stakeholders,” Pastika stated.

He noted that people should change their mindset that an addict is not a criminal, but, in fact, a sick person and a victim who needs medical treatment, such as therapy and rehab.

The provincial administration is preparing its rehabilitation facilities and infrastructure by utilizing the general hospitals and medical centers to treat addicts, both through inpatient and outpatient recovery programs.

“Criminals, traffickers, smugglers, dealers, and those who help them must be punished by law,” Pastika emphasized.

Made Mangku Pastika stated that besides corruption and terrorism, drugs are the main enemy of the state.

“These three things are dangerous. Drug crimes also involve corruption and terrorism,” he added.

According to the governor, international terrorism is largely funded by the illegal sale of drugs.

On an average, 50 Indonesians die daily due to drug abuse.

“Drugs make people die in vain, decrease their life productivity, and destroy generations,” Pastika stated.

He hoped that the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) of Bali province can coordinate with all stakeholders, including religious figures, to eradicate the use of illegal drugs.

Head of Bali’s BNN Police Brigadier General I. Gusti Ketut Budiartha noted that Bali currently has least 50 thousand drug addicts.

In 2015, Bali administration targets to rehabilitate 2,083 drug addicts through inpatient and outpatient treatments.

“The number of drug addicts in Bali is more than fifty thousand. In 2015, we target to rehabilitate them through inpatient and outpatient recovery programs,” he noted.

In a bid to realize the target, the agency will optimize all medical facilities and institutions, such as the Provincial General Hospital to provide special medical services to the drug addicts.

Moreover, following each arrest, the agency will carry out an integrated assessment of the drug addict in medico-legal terms.

“The medical assessment aims to understand the level of drug addiction, while the legal assessment aims to prevent them from getting involved in drug dealer networks,” Budiartha explained.

He revealed that the drug addicts will be placed in rehab and those aware of anyone addicted to drugs, including their family members, should report the matter to the authorized institutions for initiating prompt action.