Jakarta, April 23 -- The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) underlined the need to address drug abuse in North Sumatra as a prerequisite to resolving the wider drug problem nationally.

The agency's deputy for prevention, Richard Nainggolan, explained that this is because North Sumatra has the highest number of drug abusers in Indonesia, with 1.5 million people in the province affected by drug abuse as of 2019.

"When we resolve the drug abuse issue in North Sumatra, we certainly can resolve the drug abuse issue in Indonesia," Nainggolan affirmed at an anti-drug workshop in Medan, North Sumatra, which was followed online from here on Tuesday.

He said that drug abusers in North Sumatra account for one-third of all drug abuse victims nationwi...