Importing drugs illegally

Importing drugs illegally

From Suara Karya

The Drug and Food Control Agency (POM) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health is the only institution that has the authority to issue permits for the importation of drugs or psychotropic substances, pursuant to Law No. 22/1997 and Law No 5/1997.

However, if the authority for issuing such permits is abused, drug trafficking will become widespread in this country. Therefore, it is time for the government to create a system to monitor, evaluate and minimize any violations with regard to drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as impose sanctions on businesses found to have broken the law.

POM should cooperate with the National Narcotics Agency to supervise intensively the import of drugs through customs or smuggling.

Although the head of POM, Suparman, said imported drugs and psychotropic substances were used for health and scientific purposes, people are afraid that the authorities will "collude in" the illegal importation of drugs and other substances.

VALERY E. SETIAWAN, Bengkulu