This is what happened to Fajar, a man in his late 30s. Police, acting on a tip-off, had found “drugs” in his apartment and arrested him. In a matter of months, Fajar was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug possession.

I was friends with his late father, who introduced us. After he passed away following a brief illness, Fajar and I, who had clicked from the start, bonded more closely. Extremely bright, he became my "intellectual son”. We would call each other on a semi-regular basis to chat, exchange updates about our lives, and discuss various sociopolitical issues.

Then suddenly, he went quiet. I didn’t hear from him for almost a year and a half. I wondered what had happened to him. I texted him repeatedly, no reply. Had he ghosted me? If so, why?

Finally, I asked a mutual friend if she knew what happened to him. She told me, "He’s in prison." I reeled in shock. "For what?" I asked. "Drugs." I was horrified as Indonesia’s harsh anti-drug laws include life imprisonment and even the death penalty.

When Fajar was taken by the police, they confiscated his phone so he was unable to contact me and tell me what had happened. Eventually, he was able to procure a phone, and we could communicate again.

He told me that when his father died, he was so overcome with grief, that he had difficulty sleeping. He purchased some CBD oil to help him sleep. CBD oil is listed on the Indonesian website Alodokter as having seven health benefits, one of which is to help with insomnia.