Anti-narcotics law needs review: Singgih
Anti-narcotics law needs review: Singgih
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's anti-narcotics law needs to be amended to enable law enforcers to prosecute people they suspect of trafficking or using the drug "Ecstasy", Attorney General Singgih said yesterday.
Currently, people found consuming or selling Ecstasy cannot be brought to justice under Indonesia's 19-year-old anti-narcotics law because the chemical substances in Ecstasy do not appear in the legislation as narcotic elements, Singgih said.
Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is popular among young Indonesian adults and teenagers attending "raves" -- huge, extended dance parties.
Known as a "designer drug", Ecstasy is a kind of amphetamine (definition: a racemic compound, C9H13N). The drug is used for the clinical treatment of hyperactive children and the symptoms of narcolepsy. It is also used as a short-term appetite suppressant in dieting.
The absence of laws on Ecstasy has forced police to release a number of suspected consumers and traffickers of Ecstasy recently.
"How can we detain someone more than one day if we fail to find a certain offense as covered by the law?" City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna asked yesterday.
"Police cannot put Ecstasy users in jail just because the drug is too dangerous to them," Iman told The Jakarta Post.
However, according to Singgih, police can arrest suspects for allegedly endangering society and promoting social unrest.
Separately yesterday, a noted lawyer also suggested that laws be enacted immediately to enable the Ecstasy business to be dealt with.
"The Minister of Health must soon determine whether Ecstasy is to be listed as a narcotic or as a dangerous drug," lawyer Luhut Pangaribuan of Jakarta's Legal Aid Foundation told The Post.
Luhut suggested that the government put Ecstasy on the narcotics list if police regard it as dangerous.
Under the new rules he had in mind, police would have a strong legal basis for arresting Ecstasy consumers and traffickers, seize the drug and bringing suspects to court, Luhut said.
"If we have no laws on that, don't arrest anyone," he said.
The presence of Ecstasy in Indonesia, mostly in the form of colorful pills, received publicity for the first time in connection with the mysterious death of a young businessman at the house of famous actress Ria Irawan in January last year.
The drug can be purchased easily at certain discotheques and other places in the city for between Rp 100,000 (US$44) and Rp 200,000 per pill.
Apart from Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya reportedly have a thriving Ecstasy trade. (bsr/05)