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A mother's grief: What it may take for Indonesia to legalize medical marijuana
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Under Indonesian law, cannabis is a type-1 narcotic, meaning it is forbidden for medical use and its production is explicitly banned except for certain research purposes. (Shutterstock/Mahony)
A
grieving mother has made yet another call for Indonesia to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The substance is banned in the country under the 2009 Narcotics Law, which is one of the world’s strictest drug regulations.
Dwi Pertiwi, the mother of Musa bin Hassan Pedersen, who lived with cerebral palsy until his death at the age of 16, joined two fellow mothers and a coalition of activist groups to file a petition challenging the law with the Constitutional Court on Nov. 21.
The preliminary hearings had barely begun when Musa died on Dec. 26 after his condition deteriorated as a result of breathing difficulties and hypoxia, according to the coalition.
Musa had caught pneumonia at only 40 days old, the coalition said, but diagnostic and treatment errors had resulted in the development of meningitis, an inflammation of the brain that, in infants, is a risk factor for cerebral palsy.
In 2016, Musa underwent cannabis therapy in Australia for a month, which, according to Dwi, caused a significant improvement in his health. He no longer experienced seizures and did not have to take his prescribed medication.
“Under such conditions, according to Dwi, Musa could more easily release phlegm without having to struggle [to breathe] like he did in the last days of his life,” the Advocacy Coalition for Narcotics Usage for Medication said.
Upon returning to Indonesia, Dwi had to stop her son’s therapy or face years in prison – even for the mere possession of marijuana.
