Indonesian court rules against medicinal marijuana
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a judicial review of the country’s narcotics law that would have paved the way for legalising marijuana for medicinal use, a panel of nine judges ruled.
Three mothers of children with cerebral palsy backed by civil society organizations filed a judicial review of the country’s strict narcotics law in 2020, arguing for the use of medicinal marijuana to treat symptoms.
The judges said there was insufficient research to justify a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, but urged the government to “immediately” conduct research on the therapeutic usage of narcotics.
“The court needs to emphasize that the government [should] immediately follow up,” said judge Suhartoyo, who like many Indonesians uses one name only.
Decriminalization of cannabis would be a dramatic shift for the nation, which has one of the world’s strictest anti-drug laws, with penalties for possession or trafficking of large quantities of narcotics including life imprisonment and death.
The plaintiffs had argued that not being allowed to use narcotics for medical reasons was a constitutional violation of citizens’ rights to obtain health services and benefit from the development of science and technology.
The issue gained traction after Santi Warastuti, whose 13-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy, called for the legalization of marijuana for medical research on a busy street in downtown Jakarta.
