Drugs in Indonesia

Bill Guerin, over at Asia Times (whatever that is) has some interesting hard facts and above average analysiss about drugs in Indonesia today, including that 2.5 million Indonesian 20 year olds are drug users:

About 3.2 million Indonesians are drug users and an estimated 78% of those are in their 20s. More than 15,000 deaths every year are attributed to drug abuse. Drugs are readily available in all major urban areas, including schools, karaoke lounges, bars, cafes, discotheques, nightclubs and even in remote villages. Drug counselors cite peer pressure, poor enforcement and lack of treatment facilities as among the key factors contributing to the rise of the drug menace.

The designer drug ecstasy is generally thought to be the "gateway" to the harder drugs. Addicts abuse ganja and heroine, shabu-shabu (crystal methylamphetamine), putau (low grade heroin) and cocaine.

Ecstasy and shabu-shabu are favorites among the middle- and upper-class users. Marijuana is the drug of choice among university students and intellectuals. For an increasing number of young people, the drug of choice is putau, which is cheap, plentiful, but potentially deadly.