Every country in the world must be facing some sort of drug problems. Indonesia has problems with it too. There are regulations for drugs meant for public consumptions. However, these regulations are often broken. Drug abusers are also posing a serious threat on taking many Indonesians laws. To know more about the drug issues in the country, read these 25 Surprising Facts About Drugs in Indonesia. Know the laws and the troubles with drugs that the country has to face every day.
1. Pharmaceutical Drugs Must be Registrated
Drugs that fall under pharmaceutical reasons must go through the extensive process of earning their licenses. Before they are released to the public, they must be registrated to the Ministry of Health. This is one of the ways for the Ministry of Health to keep the drugs under control. It’s also one of the measures taken to ensure public safety when consuming the drugs.
2. Over the Counter Drugs
In Indonesia, citizens are able to buy over the counter drugs easily. They can grab them at their local pharmacies, supermarkets or even corner shops. Although the public can consume these drugs with ease, they are still warned to follow the instructions included with the drugs. Furthermore, these drugs are prone to tampering which could reduce their safety.
3. Prescription Drugs
There are, however, prescription drugs that are limited to the public. Indonesians must show an official prescription given by their doctors in order to get their medicines. Still, there are even cases where doctor prescriptions are faked in order to gain prohibited drugs. These drugs often contain addictive and deadly quality when consumed in large amount, such as morphine. Not only are the public have cases of faking the prescriptions, even nurses are sometimes arrested for doing it.
4. Only Certain Drugs can be Advertised
In case the pharmaceutical companies want to advertise drugs, they have to follow the rules set in Indonesia. Only over the counter drugs are allowed to be freely advertised through different kinds of media. Drugs with doctor prescription are only allowed to be advertised in medical journals. According to the advertising rules in Indonesia, the drugs ads must not give inaccurate information at all.
5. Some Drugs Prohibited
There are plenty of drugs that are prohibited in Indonesia.These drugs could contain the prohibited elements or ingredients which you can read in prohibited medicines in Indonesia. If someone is visiting the country with a drug, the person should carry a complete prescription and information about the drug so it won’t get confiscated. Possessing drugs that fall under the narcotic category can sometimes become a serious crime in Indonesia.
6. Death by Drug Each Day
At least there are 50 people who die each day from abusing drugs. Annually, around 18 thousand people die in total. They could be caused due to accidental overdose, inappropriate mixing or relapse. As examples, these prohibited drugs in Bali may cause death when consumed inappropriately.
7. Drug Abusers are Jailed
Once in a while, police will carry out operations to bust drug abusers. They are after people who misuse drugs containing addictive and deadly narcotic elements. People who are caught with the drugs will face a long time in jail if they are proven to be guilty. Sometimes, these drug abusers are sent to rehabilitation. However, they can also be sent to years in prison as consuming narcotic drugs is illegal.
8. Age Range of Drug Abusers
The age range of drug abusers in Indonesia can be shocking. Apparently those from the age of 10 years old up to 59 years old are categorised as drug abusers. Teenagers and young adults are often the most active drug abusers. Moreover, these people are usually students.
9. Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers
Indonesia will not hesitate to give the death penalty for drug traffickers. It is a country that still believes in capital punishment along with other 33 countries in the world. Indonesia believes that this is still the most effective ways to enforce their laws. There are over 100 people waiting to be executed in Indonesia. In 2015, 14 traffickers are put to death. In 2017, 30 people are targeted to go through the punishment.
10. Drug Abusers Keep Increasing
Apparently the number of drug abusers continue to increase. In 2008, there were approximately 850.000 drug abusers. The number increased to a million in 2011. Now, there are currently more than a million people abusing the narcotic drugs. It is a huge concern for the country as the drugs are threatening the young generations.
11. Amount of Drugs Consumed
The amount of narcotic drugs consumed by the abusers is astounding too. Every year, drug abusers consume more than 14 million of ecstasy pills. Marijuana as well as crystal meth are extremely high in the number of consumptions. 158 million marijuana are used while 219 million meth are consumed.
12. Heroin was the Most Popular Drug
In the early years of the 1990s, the most popular narcotic drugs to be abused was heroin. Due to the concerning situation, the government allows the suppliers and the users to face the death penalty. This cause people to become very afraid. The availability of heroin decreases. Less people consume it because there is a lack of supply.
13. Psychoactive Drugs Becoming Widespread
The abuse of psychoactive drugs are becoming more and more widespread. They include the abuse of painkillers and antidepressants. The drugs are gained through fake doctor prescriptions or drug traffickers. There are plenty of drug traffickers that come from outside the country.
14. Current Popular Drugs in Indonesia
There are more popular narcotic drugs in Indonesia other than the infamous heroin. For instance, ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamine are what millions of drug abusers consume. You may want to read the prohibited medicines in Bali. More and more efforts are done to suppress this concerning condition.
15. Drugs Seized Each Year
Each year, the number of drugs seized by officials continue to increase. In fact, 2017 experienced a huge leap in numbers in comparison to 2016. The number of seized drugs is 50 times higher than the previous year. Tonnes and millions of narcotics are caught in 2017.
16. Total Economic Loss
Drug abusers and traffickers greatly affect the economy in Indonesia. They cause a significant annual loss that is massive. In 2017, the country has lost Rp. 63 trillion alone. That is around $ 4.8 billion. With the ever increasing drug abusers, the loss will continue to rise.
17. Drug Abusers are Encouraged to Report Themselves
Indonesia encouraged drug abusers to come forward to hospitals. Once they admitted their crime, they are will not face jail time. Instead, they are going to put into rehabilitation programs in order to help them with their addictions. As a safety measure, know all the types of laws in Indonesia.
More Facts (18-25)
Here are more facts you should know.
- Prone to Drug Smuggling: Indonesian waters provide access to drug traffickers.
- Poverty Pushes Drugs Distribution: Drug abuse is more frequent in people living in poverty.
- Marijuana Field: There are constant marijuana grown in fields of Aceh.
- Drug Education: Education on drugs and drug abuse is always given in school all over Indonesia.
- Abusers can Become Suppliers: Abusers in Indonesia will become suppliers as they learn and in need of money.
- Drug Trades Happen in Jails: People are still able to trade drugs in jails.
- People Support Death Penalty: Indonesia citizens support the death punishment despite criticism from other countries.
- Faster Access to Drugs through Technology: Phones and internet provide more ways to trade drugs.
Indeed, the drug issues in Indonesia continue to become serious. The younger generations are always the most vulnerable. Indonesia will not give up to work on solving the troublesome drug problem.
