Southeast Asia: New Indonesian Drug Law Draws Human Rights Criticisms

Phillip Smith

After four years of debate, Indonesia's parliament passed a new drug law Monday. It was immediately criticized by reformers on numerous counts.

The new law maintains the death penalty for some drug offenses, criminalizes drug addiction, and makes it a crime for parents to fail to report their addicted children to authorities. The law also transfers responsibility for fighting drug trafficking from the government to civil society.

"The drugs law will save our children and young generation. It will be essential in the fight against drug trafficking," said Minister for Law and Human Rights Andi Mattalatta after the bill was passed. "Currently, drug dealing is not only conducted by individuals but by drugs syndicates that operate neatly," he said.

Indonesia’s life or death Drug Laws

Annabloch

On Monday 15 September 2009, the Indonesian Parliament voted in stricter drugs laws as part of the Government's efforts to toughen up their national "War on Drugs".

The law maintains the death penalty for some drug offences and has criminalised drug addiction. Now, Indonesian parents must also be aware that they have committed a crime if they fail to notify the authorities of their drug addicted children.

Drug Addicts Branded As Criminals Under New Law

The Jakarta Post

The House of Representatives passed the anti-narcotics bill into law Monday amid criticism from anti-drug groups that the newly passed law will not help rehabilitate drug addicts.

“This law classifies drug addicts as criminals and therefore subjects them to criminal charges, while doctors have said that drug addiction is a curable disease,” the Indonesian Coalition for Drug Policy Reform (ICDPR) coordinator Asmin Fransisca told reporters outside the House’ plenary session hall.

“The law should have recognized that a proper solution to drug addiction is to empower drug addicts, not to punish them as criminals.”

Regulasi NAPZA Indonesia di Persimpangan Jalan

Yvonne Sibuea

Ungkapan berbahasa latin Vox populi, vox dei (Suara Tuhan adalah Suara Rakyat ) terbukti tidak berlaku di bumi pertiwi Indonesia.  Suara rakyat yang pada masa kampanye pemilihan anggota legislatif diperebutkan untuk mendongkrak peringkat calon-calon legislatif  merebut kursi empuk DPR RI, ternyata sama sekali dinafikan pada saat mereka telah berhasil mencapai misinya. Suara rakyat tidak dibutuhkan lagi, setidaknya sampai 5 tahun ke depan, saat pemilu legislatif kembali digelar.

Drug policy revolution in Indonesia?

Rido Triawan

Mexico passed a controversial law on Aug. 20, 2009, decriminalizing people's personal use of drugs. Under the new law, the maximum amount of marijuana that can be considered for personal use is 5 grams - the equivalent of about four marijuana cigarettes. Other limits are half a gram of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams of LSD.

Anyone caught with possession of drug amounts below and up to the allowed limit for their personal use will be encouraged to seek treatment. For those caught a third time, treatment is mandatory - although there are no specified penalties for noncompliance.

This demand-reduction policy contradicts the supply-reduction policy adopted by the Mexican government. In terms of supply reduction, Mexico uses a traditional approach to national security and transnational crime reduction. The use of police and military forces is chosen by the government to reduce the supply of illicit drugs into Mexico.

Without doubt, the decriminalization policy is a progressive effort to humanize people who use drugs. Addiction in general, including addiction to all kind of drugs, is no longer viewed as a kind of behavior. Through this new policy, it is already being viewed as a kind of disease. Some experts define addiction as a chronic disease similar to other chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.