TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Rehabilitation Division of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), doctor Yolan said that drug addict can be healed through rehabilitation. "They can be healed through medical and social rehabilitation," said Yolan on Wednesday September 9, 2015.

Medical rehab is meant to help addicts recover from their addiction. Social rehab, on the other hand, is meant to help addicts recover their behavioral, psychological, and mental state. He said that narc addict is a mere patient of health that requires specific treatment.

"They need to be motivated and cured. They need rehab," he said. "Once they are cut off from the substance, we have doctors and psychology on spot to deal with it.

Moreover, Yolan added that addicts in rehab, called as residents, come and go on daily basis. The residents undergo treatment in various duration, ranging from three to six months.

Earlier, the newly appointed Chief of BNN, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, said that the number of drug users have continued to rise because the penalties for such offenses are 'lenient' - and that a court-ordered rehab could be done in conjunction with a prison sentence.

Waseso said that the court-mandated rehab sentence for drug users is a drain on Indonesia's resources.

AFRILIA SURYANIS