Some 200 drug-free young people from at least 23 countries in the Asia Pacific region are gathering for the first-ever Asian youth congress on drug abuse prevention in Sanur, Bali, to seek solutions to rampant drug abuse among their peers.

Veronica Colondam, chief executive officer of Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB), Indonesia's leading non-governmental organization working in drug abuse prevention, said on Monday that young people should initiate effective prevention programs for drug abusers.

"There are three reasons why an effective prevention program should be initiated by the young: they know why their peers are attracted to drugs; they are in touch with the latest trends in the youth world; they know how to transmit the message effectively to their peers," Colondam said.

[continues 441 words]