JakartaGlobe-June 29, 2022
The government has revealed a plan to review the marijuana ban in Indonesia, marking a shift in tone that many hope would pave the way for the use of the addictive substance for medical purposes in the country. “The government will first study the legality of marijuana for medical purposes. We will see the pros and cons,” Tubagus Erif Faturahman, the head of public relations at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said in a statement on Wednesday. “If there are indeed many positives, the government will certainly legalize marijuana for medical use. That too with strict mechanisms and regulations to avoid [misuses],” Tubagus said. Indonesia recognizes marijuana as narcotics and has banned its use for recreational or medical purposes. Still, that has not dissuaded civil activists from campaigning for legalizing marijuana, especially for the latter. Tubagus’s comment came after a public plea of parents couple to a cerebral palsy patient went viral earlier this week. The husband-wife pair Sunarta and Santi Warastuti walked to the Constitutional Court on International Anti-Narcotics Day on Sunday. At that time, Santi was walking carrying a placard, “Please, my child needs medical marijuana.” The House’s deputy speaker, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, said that DPR had met with Santi on Monday, hearing her plea for medical marijuana legalization. Sufmi said he would ask the House’s Commission III, which oversees law and legislation, autonomy, human rights, and security affairs, to hold a hearing about this issue. Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-to-study-costs-benefits-of-legalizing-marijuana-for-medical-use
