Prabowo Discusses Drug Abuse, Vape Concerns in Limited Meeting - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, with several ministers and agency heads to discuss drug trafficking and the circulation of vape products containing prohibited substances.
Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto said Prabowo directed the government to take an education and rehabilitation-based approach to treating people with drug addiction.
"Regarding education for the rehabilitation of drug addicts, the President directed us to examine how the existing education curriculum could be developed to truly bring about change," Brian said after the meeting.
He said the government was currently formulating a better approach to rehabilitating drug users, including through education programs designed to help young people recover and become productive members of society.
"How can we develop educational and rehabilitation concepts that can truly help young people recover and eventually become productive?" he said.
The ease with which teenagers can access drugs was also a concern raised during the meeting, including the circulation of vape products containing anesthetic or narcotic substances in Indonesia.
"This is also a concern of the President regarding liquid narcotics," National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto said after the meeting.
Suyudi said the BNN would work with relevant ministries and agencies to further investigate the issue and prepare regulations to address it.
Prabowo also asked the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to support efforts to combat drug abuse.
"We were asked to strengthen research and innovation related to efforts to protect future generations," BRIN chief Arif Satria said.
Arif said BRIN would work to expand and improve rehabilitation centers. The agency would also study ways to develop affordable and accessible drug detection equipment to support broader prevention efforts.
