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Legalizing marijuana
The United Nations has removed marijuana from its list of most dangerous narcotics because of the substance’s medical properties.
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ice President Ma’ruf Amin, a former chairman of the conservative Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), may be an unlikely hero for people who suffer from cerebral palsy, syringomyelia and other diseases that medical marijuana can help treat if the country finally moves to legalize the substance.
The Vice President recently asked the MUI to issue a fatwa to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, as the issue gains renewed public attention in the country. On social media, a mother’s plea for the legalization of medical marijuana for the sake of her 12-year-old child, who suffers from cerebral palsy, and others with similar illnesses has been shared more than 40,000 times on Twitter.
Previously, in 2017, a man was jailed for possession of marijuana that he was using to treat his terminally ill wife. While he was serving his jail sentence, his wife, who had the rare disease of syringomyelia, died.
Cannabis has many unique components, one class of which are the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinols. Another class are the cannabidiols, which have shown potential for non-psychoactive pain relief.
A number of studies have pointed to the efficacy of cannabis at treating certain diseases. At the request of the World Health Organization, the United Nations has removed marijuana from its most dangerous narcotics list because of these medicinal properties.
Many governments, however, particularly in ASEAN, have kept marijuana strictly illegal, apparently because of misperceptions about the substance. Recently, Thailand became the first country in the region to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.
In these kinds of questions, public perception holds significant sway. Many people are unaware of the medicinal applications of marijuana. Whether this is a result of systematic stigmatization or misinformation, the fact is that Indonesian law and law enforcement stand against marijuana. The police and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) seem never to run out of steam in cracking down on marijuana, as in Aceh under the government-led campaign against drugs.
The BNN’s staunch rejection of cannabis is evident in its recent statement that any move to legalize the substance for medical purposes would make Indonesia more vulnerable to drug abuse, resulting in “an extraordinary increase in crime”.
The MUI has yet to overturn its edict declaring marijuana haram. But even if it is repealed, it will be difficult for patients and their families to access marijuana unless the 2009 Narcotics Law is amended. The law lists cannabis as a type-1 narcotic alongside 65 other drugs, including opium, cocaine and methamphetamine, thereby prohibiting its consumption, even for medicinal purposes.
It is encouraging that some, if not many, House of Representatives members are considering discussing a revision of the Narcotics Law to accommodate medical marijuana. The deputy chairman of the House’s law commission, Desmond Mahesa, suggested the formation of a joint task force consisting of the Health Ministry, the National Police and the BNN to monitor the medical applications of the substance to prevent its misuse.
It may take the country years to follow in the footsteps of Thailand in this regard. Research is imperative to provide facts about medical cannabis so that the Narcotics Law can be reformed in a safe and responsible manner.
