Bill on psychotropic drugs submitted to House for debate
Bill on psychotropic drugs submitted to House for debate
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi yesterday submitted
for deliberation by the House of Representatives the long-awaited
bill on psychotropic substances.
The bill, which is a ratification of the 1971 United Nations
Convention on Psychotropic Substances, gives serious attention to
public health and social problems resulting from abuse of certain
psychotropic substances, he said.
As of December 1995, 140 countries have ratified the
Convention.
"The government is determined to prevent and combat the abuse
of such substances and its illegal trafficking," Sujudi told the
House's plenary session.
The increase in the trafficking of psychotropic drugs, such as
Ecstasy, is a cause for alarm both at the national and
international levels, he pointed out.
"The adverse influence of the substances will not only affect
our younger generation, but also erode national security," Sujudi
said.
Campaign against substance abuse requires a good coordination
among agencies, even among countries, in order to be effective,
he said.
"We did not ratify the convention earlier because we thought
we could handle the problem of abuse of psychotropic substances
on our own," he said. "Now, we're finding that we can't do it
alone because it also involves other countries."
The Convention 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 of their governments or
specifically approved by them.
The 33 articles of the Convention cover subjects such as
control of preparations, licenses, special administrations,
prescriptions, warning on packages and advertising, records,
provisions relating to international trade, prohibition of and
restrictions on export and import, and measures of inspection.
The document stipulates that all countries adopting the
Convention should take, based on their legal systems and domestic
laws, strict measures against abuse of the substances and against
their illicit traffic.
Prior to the bill's presentation, the government had received
many complaints and expressions of concern over the increasingly
widespread use of Ecstasy among wealthy teenagers and ravegoers
in major cities, particularly because Indonesia's law on
narcotics is considered inadequate.
The 1992 Health Law also does not cover Ecstasy.
Police have been hampered in their fight against Ecstasy
because the 1976 Anti-narcotics Law does not classify the drug as
a narcotic. The law confines narcotics to marijuana, cocaine and
morphine.
Police have resorted to using a 1949 Law on Dangerous Drugs,
the 1992 Health Law -- which deals with the distribution of
substandard drugs -- and Article 204 of the Criminal Code, which
deals with the supply of dangerous drugs.
Possession of and trafficking in Ecstasy are illegal under the
1992 Health Law No. 23. Anyone caught breaking this law can be
sentenced up to 15 years in jail or be fined up to Rp 300
million.
The drug can reportedly be purchased at some discotheques and
nightspots frequented by Jakarta's wealthy teenagers. Before
becoming popular, one Ecstasy capsule cost between Rp 100,000 and
Rp 200,000. (31)