Bill on drugs almost ready for deliberation

JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited bill on psychotropic drugs, which stipulates that trafficking Ecstasy and other similar substances will carry a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of up to Rp 500 million (US$212,000), is almost ready for deliberation.

Minister of Health Sujudi presented the government's general views on the bill before a plenary session of the House of Representatives yesterday.

Two more plenary sessions are necessary before legislators and government representatives begin deliberating the bill which consists of 67 articles.

The draft law prohibits any use of psychotropic substances except for scientific and very limited medical purposes by duly authorized persons, and in medical and scientific establishments which are directly under the control or approval of the government.

Article 58 of the bill states that anyone caught illegally producing or distributing, exporting or importing psychotropic drugs without legal documents, will be subject to up to 20 years in jail or be fined up to Rp 500 million.

Managers of pharmaceutical companies which distribute the substances to unauthorized persons or institutions are also liable be sentenced to up to 20 years in jail or fined up to Rp 500 million.

Article 60 states that people caught possessing illegal psychotropic drugs can be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail or be fined up to Rp 200 million.

Transporting the substances without the necessary legal documents, or advertising the substances in the mass media, instead of in scientific journals, is subject to a sentence of up to five years in jail or a fine of up to Rp 140 million.

Medical practitioners, drug store owners or hospital employees that distribute psychotropic drugs against the law are also liable to one year in jail or a fine of up to Rp 15 million.

Expatriates are to be allowed to possess psychotropic substances in small doses for personal or medical use as long as they can prove they obtained the drug legally. But those who violate the law face deportation.

Meanwhile, Antara reported yesterday that a Garuda Indonesia B-747-200 pilot was arrested in Amsterdam's Schippol airport on Sunday with 8,000 ecstasy tablets.

The report was confirmed by PT Garuda Indonesia president director Soepandi in Jakarta yesterday. "We have received the report. We regret the incident. We will take a punitive action against the pilot if he is found guilty," he said.

Antara reported that Amsterdam police searched all the Garuda crew members once they obtained information from the secret service about a cabin crew carrying a large number of ecstasy pills.

The search forced the aircraft to postpone its flight for 43 minutes, the report said. (ste/pan)