A child's life was lost in a tragic accident. The state has officially started to review its medical marijuana policy.
Indonesia is known for its strict anti-drug policies. It has a record of executing people for drug offenses, including marijuana trafficking, and it controls marijuana use as strictly as New Gabi does.
Yesterday was an important day for alternative medicine in Indonesia. It was the first step towards changing the country's medical laws to allow for the use of marijuana.
On May 6, 2025, the National Narcotics Board (BNN) asked the Ministry of Health and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to study the use of Cannabis in medicine.
The head of the BNN, Police Lt. Gen. Marthinus Hukom, said that the study is a response to the BNN's constitutional obligation to respond to the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court. The court's ruling says that the government must review the use of marijuana in the medical field.
BNN Director Attends Third Committee Congressional Work Session
On Monday, Madinus spoke via video at a meeting in Jakarta with the Third Committee of the National Assembly. He said, "We are asking for time to study the issue of marijuana. Right now, people are talking about whether to legalize it for health reasons. We need more accurate research results."
He said there are plans to do in-depth studies on using marijuana as a medicine at the BNN Forensic Laboratory. This is one of the best forensic laboratories in Southeast Asia.
The BNN chief said this in response to a question from Congressional Third Committee Rep. Hinca Panjaitan. Panjaitan asked if BNN would research the medical use of marijuana.
He said that people often ask to make marijuana legal for medical use. This request is often made by society as a whole, especially by parents of children with cerebral palsy. Some people think that marijuana can cure the disease.
Simca shared the heartbreaking news that a child who had been living with cerebral palsy for 10 years had recently passed away. The child's parents were among the people who asked for the Drug Justice Review on the regulation of medical marijuana.
Simka said at the meeting that it has been too long since people started talking about this study. In fact, the Constitutional Court has already reviewed the Narcotics Act twice, ordering the state to conduct research tests. That was three years ago."
In December 2020, the United Nations recommended that the WHO approve the medical use of cannabis. 27 countries agreed, 25 countries rejected the recommendation, and one country did not take a position. Indonesia was one of the 25 countries that rejected the legalization of cannabis for medical use.
The Indonesian government believes that the medical use of cannabis is dangerous and would cause more harm than good. It would have a number of effects on health, especially mental health. If it is not handled properly, it will be extremely harmful to the nation.
In 2021, an Indonesian mother asked the government to allow her child with cerebral palsy to use marijuana. This caused a debate in the country.
On June 25, a mother named Santi Warastuti held a sign that read "Help, my child needs medical marijuana" during a car-free day event in Jakarta. Santi's 12-year-old child, Pika Sasikirana, has cerebral palsy.
On June 26, Andien Aisyah, a famous Indonesian singer, posted Santi's photo and story on Twitter. This quickly got the public's attention, with more than 40,000 retweets so far. There is growing support for legalizing medical marijuana in Indonesia.
On June 28, Santi also went to Indonesia's parliament to ask for political support for the legalization of medical marijuana. The deputy speaker of Indonesia's People's Representative Assembly (the lower house of parliament), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, met with Santi.
Two days later, Santi also met with members of the third parliamentary committee overseeing legal affairs. This committee intends to make changes to Bill No. 35 of 2009. Indonesia's Vice President Maruf, who used to be the head of the Indonesian Council of Shariah Scholars (MUI), also joined the discussion. He urged the MUI to issue a fatwa, a formal statement issued by an Islamic scholar or religious leader, allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
On June 29, Indonesia's Health Minister Budi said that the Ministry of Health will soon introduce new rules that will allow researchers to study the medicinal value of marijuana. However, he emphasized that this would only be for research purposes.
However, Indonesia's National Narcotics Authority is still unsure about making medical marijuana legal.
On July 5, Susanto, the legal director of BNN, spoke at a symposium in Jakarta. He said that according to Act No. 35 of 2009, Category 1 narcotics, like marijuana, cannot be used for medical purposes. However, Susanto added that Indonesia was more likely to "control" marijuana and marijuana products than to "legalize" them.
Asmin Fransiska, the dean of the Faculty of Law at the Catholic University of Indonesia in Atenmaya, explained the definition of "control." She said that the use of medical marijuana will only be allowed if it is first tested in a laboratory. Then, a license must be applied for. Finally, a specific dispensary must be created. The dispensary will only be for a specific patient.
How many years can patients wait from 2021 to 2025?It took four years to go from saying it cannot be used for medical treatment to doubting it, to asking for a constitutional review, to a sick child passing away before research on legalization for medical use is finally announced.