Police on the Indonesian island of Java have arrested several teenagers who admitted that they got high by boiling sanitary towels - often ones that have been used - and drinking the liquid. According to the Pos Belitung (PB) website disposal nappies have also been used.
A 14-year-old boy from Belitung told PB that the sanitary towels are boiled in water for an hour. The high comes from the "gels" inside the sanitary towel. Once the liquid is strained it is ready to drink.
AKBP Suprinarto, the head of Central Java's Brantas National Narcotics Agency (BNN), told Jawa Pos that the high cost of narcotics has resulted in drug users getting creative with cow dung and mosquito coils. The sanitary pad trend, however, is relatively recent, according to Suprinarto but is catching on among kids as young as 12.
"So, the used sanitary napkins are soaked. The boiled water is drunk. The one that makes the fly is the content in the sanitary napkins used to absorb water (menstruation)," he said.