Indonesian narcotics agency to launch study on use of marijuana for medical purposes
JAKARTA: The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) is planning to launch a study on the potential medical benefits of marijuana, a move that could pave the way for limited legalisation of cannabis in a country long known for its firm anti-drug stance.
BNN Head Gen Marthinus Hukom stated that the research will be conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) at the BNN Forensic Laboratory, which he described as one of the best-equipped facilities in South-East Asia.
"We are aware of the ongoing discussions about legalising cannabis for medical use. We need time to carry out accurate research to properly evaluate this proposal," he said during a recent hearing with lawmakers at the House of Representatives, as quoted by Antara.
However, Marthinus emphasised that even if the research shows promising results regarding the medical benefits of marijuana, it does not necessarily mean that cannabis "will be legalised for everyone".
Marthinus' statement came after lawmaker Hinca Pandjaitan of the Democratic Party criticised the government for its slow progress in researching the potential benefits of medical marijuana.
"The public, particularly parents of children with cerebral palsy, have submitted multiple petitions to the Constitutional Court to legalise medical marijuana," he said.
"Despite a ruling from the court urging the government to explore the medical benefits of cannabis, progress has remained very slow."
He added that one of the petitioners' children, who had been suffering from cerebral palsy for the past 10 years, passed away while the government continued to drag its feet on conducting research into medical cannabis.
In 2022 the Constitutional Court rejected a petition to legalise medical marijuana filed by three mothers of children with terminal illnesses who needed the drug to treat their symptoms.
The court concluded that there was insufficient research in Indonesia to justify a ruling in favour of the petitioners, who challenged the ban on the use of medical marijuana established in the 2009 Narcotics Law.
Under the law, cannabis is categorised as a type-1 narcotic that is prohibited from being consumed in Indonesia, including for therapeutic purposes, and its production explicitly banned except for certain research purposes, alongside opium, cocaine and methamphetamine.
This law is among the world's harshest drug regulations.
Despite rejecting the petition, the Constitutional Court stated that "the government must immediately conduct research" into the use of medical marijuana, emphasising that the findings could inform policy decisions, including the potential for legal reform.
Last year, the Court also rejected a petition filed by Pipit Sri Hartanti and Supardji, parents of a child with cerebral palsy, who sought the legalisation of the substance as an alternative treatment for their child's condition.
They brought a new finding from the World Health Organization (WHO) that recommended removing cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which categorises substances that have little or no therapeutic purposes.
Cannabis is now included in Schedule I among other substances that are highly addictive, liable to abuse or convertible into addictive drugs in the WHO's list.
But the court said that Indonesia had submitted a different position to the WHO's recommendation, in which the government warned that the harm from using cannabis and related substances outweighed the benefits.
The pleas of these parents have garnered significant public support, including from former Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, who in 2022 urged the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to reconsider its stance on declaring marijuana haram, even for medical use.
Research on the use of medical marijuana for cerebral palsy is still limited. Findings from some studies suggest that it offers a host of benefits, including pain control, reduction of spastic movements and reduction of seizures. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
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