Drug Laws in Bali and the Rest of Indonesia
The drug scene in Indonesia is something of a contradiction. Indonesian drug laws are among the strictest in Southeast Asia, yet the use of illegal drugs is relatively high in some parts of the country.
Indonesia's war on drugs is somewhat compromised by the country's size and island geography. The Indonesian anti-narcotics agency BNN does not have enough resources to monitor the country's endless miles of coastline, through which marijuana, ecstasy, meth, and heroin manage to slip through with regularity.
This should not be taken as a green light to indulge, though. The Indonesian authorities are ready to make an example of foreigners who use illegal drugs in their jurisdiction. Bali's Kerobokan Prison houses plenty of foreigners who thought they could game the system and lost the bet.
Penalties for Drug Use in Indonesia
Under Indonesian Law No. 35/2009, the country's controlled substances list is divided into three different groups. Chapter XV of the 2009 law lays down the penalties for each group, while the Appendix lists all the drugs that fall into each group. Possession and trafficking of all the drugs listed in the Appendix are illegal, unless undertaken by people or companies approved by the government.
Group 1 drugs are viewed by the Indonesian government as therapeutically useless with a high potential for causing addiction. Group 1 drugs merit the weightiest sentences - life imprisonment for possession, and the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers.
Possession is punishable by 4 to 12 years' imprisonment, and fines of IDR 800 million to 8 billion (US$89,600 to US$896,000). If the drugs exceed 1 kilogram (for raw drugs like marijuana) or 5 grams (for processed drugs like heroin and cocaine), a maximum punishment of life imprisonment may be imposed.
Trafficking is punishable by 5 to 15 years' imprisonment and fines of IDR one billion to ten billion (US$112,000 to US$1.2 million). If the volume of drugs exceeds 1 kilogram (for raw drugs) or 5 grams (for processed drugs), the death penalty may be imposed.
Drugs in Group 1, a partial list: heroin, cocaine, marijuana, hashish, mescaline, MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opium and its derivatives
Group 2 drugs are seen by the law as useful for therapeutic purposes, but dangerous due to their high addictive potential.
Possession is punishable by 3 to 10 years' imprisonment, and a fine of IDR 600 million to 5 billion (US$67,200 to US$560,000). If the volume of drugs exceeds 5 grams, 5 to 15 years' imprisonment may result.
Trafficking is punishable by 4 to 12 years' imprisonment and fines of IDR 800 million to eight billion (US$89,600 to US$896,000). If the volume of drugs exceeds 5 grams, the death penalty may be imposed.
Drugs in Group 2, a partial list: morphine, methadone, oxycodone, pethidine and hydromorphone
Group 3 drugs are seen as therapeutically useful and moderately addictive, but not to the same degree as the drugs in Group 1 or 2.
Possession is punishable by 2 to 7 years' imprisonment, and a fine of IDR 400 million to 3 billion (US$44,800 to US$336,000). If the volume of drugs exceeds 5 grams, 3 to 10 years' imprisonment may result.
Trafficking is punishable by 3 to 10 years' imprisonment and fines of IDR 600 million to five billion (US$67,200 to US$560,000). If the volume of drugs exceeds 5 grams, imprisonment of 5 to 15 years may be imposed.
Drugs in Group 3, a partial list: codeine, dihydrocodeine and buprenorphine
The penalties listed here are not absolute – Indonesian judges may take mitigating circumstances into account and impose a lighter sentence as a result.
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