Govt told to better regulate precursor chemicals
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta
The government has been urged to regulate the trading of precursors imported from abroad to stop the misuse of the chemical substances for the production of narcotics and psychotropic substances.
National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chairman Comr. Gen. Togar Sianipar said on Wednesday a precursor was a substance used to produce medicine, cosmetics, textiles and food, but has widely been misused for the production of illegal drugs due to the absence of clear regulations.
Based on a survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Indonesia topped the precursor abuse cases among Southeast Asian countries over the last few years, he said.
"There are 23 kinds of precursors usually misused to produce narcotics and psychotropic substances, such as ecstasy, because of the absence of regulations on their importation and trading. This has made Indonesia a safe haven for precursor abusers," Togar told The Jakarta Post.
Data from his agency shows that precursor abuse cases rose sharply in the last three years, with an average increase of 50 percent.
Last year, the National Police uncovered over 10 cases of ecstasy made from precursors with evidence confiscated reaching 17.3 kilograms.
In the same year, they also managed to seize 400 tons of various kinds of illegal precursors in Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta.
To make things worse, according to Togar, the drugs that use precursor as their basic materials become more toxic as they were usually mixed with other substances that were unlike the standard contents of ecstasy.
"The homemade ecstasy has become very dangerous with unusual blends. We can imagine what may happen to consumers. It can cause premature death," he added.
Togar said Law No. 22/1997 on narcotics and Law No. 5/1997 on psychotropic substances did not cover the abuse of precursors in making drugs.
None of the related government agencies such as the Directorate General of International Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Health, and the Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has enacted regulations on this chemical substance, he added.
Togar claimed that police were powerless to take firm action against precursor smugglers and abusers due to a lack of a firm legal basis.
Furthermore, existing regulations on the import of chemicals and trading are very ambiguous and weak as violators were only given administrative sanctions, including formal reprimands, light fines and suspension of their license, he complained.
These violators, he said, would repeat their wrongdoing due to the light punishment, Togar added.
Sharing his view was Indonesian Health Consumer Protection Foundation (YPKKI) chairman Marius Widjajarta, who quoted a 2002 survey by his organization as saying that almost all kinds of chemical substances, including precursors, entered the country without any restrictions.
"All 23 precursors can enter Indonesia freely. No wonder ecstasy production in Indonesia is the highest in the world because regulations are nonexistent," he told the Post.
Marius said that it was strange that the BPOM insisted on monitoring chemical substances for medicine and food, while the agency is separate from the Ministry of Health.
Under the law, the ministry is authorized to supervise the circulation of similar chemical substances, he added.
"The government has to resolve the dual authority by determining which agency is responsible for monitoring these substances," said Marius.
Togar said the BNN had proposed a bill on narcotic and psychotropic substances that would impose firm punishment for precursor abusers, adding that it has been submitted to the President.