High expectations to quickly enter the workforce often create excessive stress. For some students, this pressure leads to the consumption of illegal drugs such as pil koplo and other narcotics. According to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), between 2023 and 2024, around 3.3 million Indonesians were reported to have used illegal substances like pil koplo.
Among them were vocational high school (SMK) students, whose drug use severely damages memory—an essential ability needed to master practical skills. Consequently, their health deteriorates, academic performance declines, and their once-bright futures grow dim.
This situation has caused many students to normalize the use of illegal drugs as a way to combat exhaustion brought on by demanding school hours and extracurricular activities.
Many students, both male and female, believe that pil koplo provides a temporary sense of high energy and confidence, making them feel more prepared to face future career challenges. However, these substances have detrimental effects, including reduced concentration and poor comprehension of the subjects they study in school.
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In my view, the increasing number of teenagers—especially vocational school students—falling into drug abuse is deeply concerning. These students, who are supposed to be developing valuable skills for their future, are instead being drawn into the temptation of drugs such as pil koplo and other substances.
Some begin out of curiosity, peer pressure, or a desire to escape their tiring study routines. As a result, their potential as the nation’s next generation is wasted.
Data from the 2022 National Narcotics Use Survey (SNP) by BNN shows that about 2.5 million Indonesians aged 15–64 have used narcotics, with a significant increase among teenagers aged 15–24. In vocational schools (SMK), a 2023 report from the Ministry of Education and Culture revealed that 10–15% of students were involved in drug abuse—higher than the rate in general high schools (SMA)—particularly in Tegal City and Tegal Regency.
The BNN Tegal City Office reported that 8–12% of students aged 15–18 were involved in drug abuse, with higher rates found in urban vocational schools. In 2023, there were over 150 cases of SMK students arrested for using pil koplo, which served as the main evidence in 40% of those cases.
Risk factors included easy access through online networks and academic pressure. BNN Tegal handled more than 50 rehabilitation cases involving teenagers per year, achieving a 60–70% recovery rate through therapy programs.
In April 2023, BNN uncovered a pil koplo distribution network involving over 20 SMK students in Tegal. In 2022, a major operation in Pasar Johar led to the arrest of ten dealers and the confiscation of thousands of pil koplo pills.
There is growing concern over the widespread use of illegal drugs, particularly pil koplo (a type of ecstasy), among vocational school students in Tegal City, Central Java. Many people are alarmed that students—who should be focusing on developing future skills—are instead falling victim to drug abuse due to curiosity, peer influence, or the desire to escape from academic stress and high expectations.
The main causes include the normalization of pil koplo as a solution to fatigue, anxiety, and lack of energy. These drugs provide only a temporary sense of energy and confidence. In the long run, however, they lead to serious health problems, declining academic performance, memory loss, and wasted potential among Indonesia’s young generation.
Author: Siffa Zalia Rahmawati
Public Sector Accounting Applied Science Student, Harkat University Negeri Tegal
Editor: Salwa Alifah Yusrina
Language: Rahmat Al Kafi
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