Health ministry to study Ecstasy

Health ministry to study Ecstasy

JAKARTA (JP): As the media hype on the danger of the rave- scene stimulant Ecstasy increases, the government announces it will examine whether the synthetic drug should be classified under narcotics or dangerous drugs.

Minister of Health Sujudi yesterday told a hearing with the House Commission VIII, which oversees health, that at the moment Ecstasy is not listed at the ministry as a dangerous drug.

"We don't even know which laboratory produces it," he admitted.

Attorney General Singgih said recently said that Indonesia's 19-year-old anti-narcotics law needs to be amended to enable law enforcers to prosecute people they suspect of trafficking or using Ecstasy.

The fact that the chemical substances in Ecstasy do not appear in the existing legislation as narcotic elements has often been blamed for widespread abuse of it and the inability of law enforcers to curb its spread through legal measures.

The lack of legislation on the drug has forced police to release a number of suspected consumers and traffickers of the drug. Police, however, can arrest suspects on charges of endangering society and creating social unrest.

Luhut Pangaribuan of Jakarta's Legal Aid Foundation said recently that the Minister of Health must soon determine whether Ecstasy is to be listed as a narcotic or as a dangerous drug.

Luhut suggested to put Ecstasy on the narcotics list if police regard it as dangerous. This way, they would have a strong legal basis for arresting Ecstasy consumers and traffickers, seize the drug and bringing suspects to court, he said.

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is popular among young Indonesian adults and teenagers attending "raves" -- huge, extended dance parties.

Experts said Ecstasy is a mixture of an amphetamine derivative and caffeine, the hallucinogen LSD and other substances not clearly identified.

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.

Earlier this year, U.S. researchers found new evidence that consumption of the drug could cause permanent brain damage leading to mood disturbances. (31)