Getting a ‘Buzz’ from Your Food

Vice President Jusuf Kalla rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana, but said it was alright for food seasoning. Kalla was responding to a study by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Indonesian National Institute on Drug Abuse (INIDA), which considers the legalization of marijuana.

“There is no way (we can legalize marijuana). It’s alright to use it as a food seasoning, but it should not be fully legalized,” Kalla told reporters at the commemoration of International Anti-Drug Day on Tuesday in Sukabumi, West Java.

Tomi Harjatno, a drug expert from BNN, said Indonesia should follow the example of countries such as the Netherlands, which has legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes.
Tomi said the effects of marijuana were not as harmful as perceived by the public.

The BNN and INIDA are reportedly recommending the government reevaluate its policy on marijuana, including giving the go-ahead for its legal use in certain areas.

The plan, however, has been meet with staunch opposition.
However, BNN executive director Mangku Pastika said his agency had no plan for legalizing marijuana.

Marijuana is categorized as a dangerous illegal substance, in the same category as cocaine and heroin, as stipulated by the 1997 law on narcotics.

In Indonesia, growing marijuana is a crime that carries a 10-year prison term.

Kalla said the application of capital punishment is the most effective way to curtail drugs in the country.

The death sentence, Kalla said, is a necessary deterrent to curb drug rings, which have penetrated the fabric of society.

“First we have to consider a number of legal means, including presidential pardons and case reviews by the Supreme Court, before deciding on the death sentence.”

National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said the death sentence for drug dealers has already been applied in a number of Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia.

“If we don’t apply capital punishment for drug dealers, there is a good chance Indonesia will become a safe haven for them in Southeast Asia,” he said.

According to data from the BNN, more than 3.2 million people in Indonesia are users of illegal substances, with 69 percent regular drug users. It is estimated that more than 15,000 drug users die each year from substance abuse.

Meanwhile, the National Police Narcotics Unit announced the arrest of a suspected drug courier carrying 50 grams of crystal methamphetamine, or shabu-shabu, in Salemba, Central Jakarta.

The narcotics unit chief, Sr. Comr. Siswandi, said the courier, Hemly Salilama, confessed he got the drug via cell phone order from a female inmate at the Pondok Bambu women’s penitentiary.
The woman was identified as Clairin Yulia Salim, alias Aciu, and was previously convicted of possession of illicit drugs.

According to the 1997 law on psychotropics, Helmy could face a maximum prison term of 15 years if proven guilty.

M. Taufiqurrahman