LEGALIZED INDONESIA 1. BACKGROUND The debate regarding the legalisation of drugs, particularly that of soft drugs like cannabis (or marijuana) is capable of being characterised as one which pits the concept of freedom of the individual against the concept of a paternalistic State. dvocates of legalisation argue, amongst other things, that cannabis is not only less harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco, but as a matter of fact has been proven to possess certain medicinal properties. Marijuana is one of the most valuable plants in the orl!. "ver# part of the plant is use!. $emp for paper% fabri&% plasti&. Di! #ou 'no the U.( &onstition as ritten on hemp paper) *he see!s &an be use! as a foo! sour&e. +t &ontains man# of the ne&essar# fats su&h as ome,a - an! .. *he see!s oil has been use! as a &heap sour&e of fuel. *he floers have been use! for me!i&inal purposes sin&e an&ient times an! has been 'non to help people ,oin, throu,h &hemo therap# an! people !ia,nose! ith ai!s. !n stark contrast, those opposed to legalisation argue /. D"0+N+*+ON Marijuana 1&annabis2 is a !epressant !ru, that ma!e from the leaves of &annabis plant. *$C 1Delta 3 tetrahi!ro'anibinol2 is one of the 455 &hemi&als foun! in marijuana that &auses the effe&t an! moo! sin,s. As a depressant drug , marijuana affects the nervous system by slowing down brain activity . *his annual plant &an rea&h / meters hei,ht. Marijuana ,ron onl# in tropi&al mountains ith elevations above 1%555 feet above sea level. Marijuana be&ame a s#mbol of the hippie &ulture as popular in the Unite! (tates. +t is usuall# !enote! b# the !istin&tive shape of marijuana leaves. Besi!es marijuana an! opium is also toute! as a s#mbol of resistan&e to flo impose! &apitalist ,lobalism to !evelope! &ountries. 6e shoul! le,ali7e! marijuana in +n!onesia an! marijuana &an onl# be bou,ht b# health&are people ho have health permit from !o&tors an! me!i&al in!i&ation% an! marijuana onl# &an be foun! in the hospital pharma&# -. ARGUM"N* A. GO8"RNM"N* " a. Legalized Marijuana Profits to the Government Stephen T. #aston argues that if marijuana was legali$ed, we could transfer these e%cess profits caused by the risk&premium from these grow operations to the government' !f we substitute a ta% on marijuana cigarettes e(ual to the difference between the local production cost and the street price people currently pay&&that is, transfer the revenue from the current producers and marketers (many of whom work with organi$ed crime) to the government, leaving all other marketing and transportation issues aside we would have revenue of (say) )* per +unit,. !f you could collect on every cigarette and ignore the transportation, marketing, and advertising costs, this comes to over )" billion on -anadian sales and substantially more from an e%port ta%, and you forego the costs of enforcement and deploy your policing assets elsewhere. The study estimates that the average price of ../ grams (a unit) of marijuana sold for )0.1. on the street, while its cost of production was only )1.*.. !n a free market, a )1.2. profit for a unit of marijuana would not last for long. #ntrepreneurs noticing the great profits to be made in the marijuana market would start their own grow operations, increasing the supply of marijuana on the street, which would cause the street price of the drug to fall to a level much closer to the cost of production. 3f course, this doesn4t happen because the product is illegal5 the prospect of jail time deters many entrepreneurs and the occasional drug bust ensures that the supply stays relatively low. 6e can consider much of this )1.2. per unit of marijuana profit a risk&premium for participating in the underground economy. 7nfortunately, this risk premium is making a lot of criminals, many of whom have ties to organi$ed crime, very wealthy. b. Marijuana is fairly harmless health There is no evidence that marijuana decreases cognitive functions 1/&year 8ohn 9opkins 7niversity study published in :ay 1222 found ;no significant differences in cognitive decline between heavy users, light users, and non&users of cannabis.; :arijuana is no more harmful than tobacco and alcohol lthough cannabis does indeed have some harmful effects, it is no more harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. s a matter of fact, research by the <ritish :edical ssociation shows that nicotine is far more addictive than cannabis. =urthermore, the consumption of alcohol and the smoking of cigarettes cause more deaths per year than does the use of > cannabis (e.g. through lung cancer, stomach ulcers, accidents caused by drunk driving etc.). The legali$ation of cannabis will remove an anomaly in the law whereby substances that are more dangerous than cannabis are legal whilst the possession and use of cannabis remains unlawful. ?egali$ation would change drug consumption from a criminal to a health issue The biggest issue with marijuana relates to the health problems it creates, with lung problems, ;addiction;, short&term memory loss, energy loss, and even the risk of schi$ophrenia. The social costs are little different than those with alcohol or cigarettes. Therefore, it should be treaty as a health issue, rather than a crime issue. @ :arijuana is not to%ic to humans 8ames Aanderson, Science -orrespondent. ;-annabis -hemical -urbs Bsychotic Symptoms;. Cuardian 7nlimited 7D. pril >., "..* & ;?ondon && 3ne of the active chemicals in cannabis inhibits psychotic symptoms in people with schi$ophrenia, according to a study which compared it with a leading anti& psychotic drug.; @ :arijuana is not addictive There is no evidence that marijuana physically addictive. 6hile it may be psychologically addictive, in the sense that people like it and want to do it again, this is little different than alcohol. <ut, certainly, cigarettes are more addictive than marijuana. nd, since cigarettes are physically addictive and yet legal, should addictiveness really be a barometer for a substance4s illegalityE Fo. :arijuana has many -3F=!A:#G medicinal uses. !t was widely used to treat glaucoma, give relief to chemotherapy recipients, and also as a TA#T:#FT for many psychological disorders (such as social an%iety disorder and an%iety disorder). dditionally, there is no contention, in any medical circle, that marijuana is an effective stress reliever, causing it to have !::#S7A<?# beneficial effects in the treatment of stress&related physical and psychological disorders... Marijuana supporters li'e to ar,ue that marijuana is similar to al&ohol. 6hile al&ohol is le,al% it also a&&ounts for tens of thousan!s of !eaths ever# #ear in &ar a&&i!ents or other !rin'in,9relate! misfortunes. But e &an:t turn the &lo&' ba&' on that one be&ause it:s too embe!!e! in our so&iet#. (upporters of marijuana sa# that marijuana shoul! be le,ali7e! be&ause ol! people an! omen an! &hil!ren ho have ailments li'e ,lau&oma or &an&er or intra&table sei7ures nee! it. One ar,ument a,ainst the le,alisation of &annabis is the :evi!en&e: hi&h lin's the use of &annabis to the !evelopment of s&hi7ophrenia. ;lease note that + use the or! lin's an! not &auses 9 *his is ver# important as + hope + ill be able to e<plain. "ven the most har!9line ri,ht in, so9&alle! e<perts in mental health ill a!mit that onl# a small proportion of s&hi7ophrenia &ases &an be a&&ounte! for b# H the use of &annabis. =es% unfortunatel# the majorit# of &ases of s&hi7ophrenia &an be a&&ounte! for b# ,eneti& fa&tors% brain !evelopment !isor!ers an! &hroni& stress. (o% h# are &ertain ,roups so &onvin&e! b# the evi!en&e that &annabis &an &ause s&hi7ophrenia) 0irst e nee! to un!erstan! the neurolo,i&al basis of s&hi7ophrenia 1!on:t orr# + ill not ,et too te&hni&al here2> (&hi7ophrenia is &ause! b# an imbalan&e in a neurotransmitter &alle! !opamine% parti&ularl# in the frontal9lobes an! limbi& s#stem of the brain. +f #ou ,ive a person ith s&hi7ophrenia !ru,s hi&h in&rease !opamine a&ross the hole brain% their s#mptoms orsen. (pe&ifi&all#% people ith s&hi7ophrenia sho a !e&rease in !opamine levels in the frontal &orte< of the brain an! an in&rease in !opamine levels in the limbi& re,ion of the brain hi&h is responsible for man# fun&tions in&lu!in, a!!i&tion 1Ro,ers% /5512. 0inall#% let:s &onsi!er the number of !eaths &ause! b# le,al !ru,s &ompare! to marijuana. A&&or!in, to national statisti&s in /511 just belo ?%@A5 !eaths ere the !ire&t &ause of al&ohol. +f one oul! li'e to rea!% 155%555 !ie! from smo'in, ever# #ear. $o man# !ie! !ire&tl# from &annabis over!ose) *he anser is a bi, fat 5B +t is ph#si&all# impossible to over!ose on marijuana. 0urthermore it is ph#si&all# impossible to be&ome a!!i&te! to the a&tive in,re!ients of marijuana be&ause *$C has su&h a lon, half9life that #ou !o not be&ome ph#si&all# !epen!ent upon it unli'e al&ohol an! ni&otine. =es% o'a# #ou &an be&ome ps#&holo,i&all# a!!i&te! to marijuana% but #ou &an also be&ome ps#&holo,i&all# a!!i&te! to an#thin, from al&ohol to &ho&olate 1re,ar!less of hether it is le,al or ille,al2. *here is also the &ost of al&ohol an! smo'in, on the N$(C a&&or!in, to the Dail# Mail al&ohol abuse &osts the N$( D.billion a #ear% an! a&&or!in, to the BBC nes smo'in, &osts the N$( DA billion a #ear. +t is true that s&hi7ophrenia &osts the N$( D..@billion a #ear% a&&or!in, to N+C" 1but onl# a tin# amount of this &an ar,uabl# be the !ire&t result of &annabis% if an# at all2. =ou ma# thin' havin, a lar,e amount of *$C in #our s#stem ill 'ill #ou% but #ou are ron,. "ver sin&e marijuana has been 'non to man'in!% not one sin,le a&&ount of !eath from over!ose has been re&or!e!. On the other han!% in /515% -?%-/3 people !ie! from !ru, over!oses. (i<t# per&ent of those ere relate! to pres&ription !ru,s. +n that same #ear% /A%.3/ people !ie! from al&ohol9relate! &auses. +f #ou are &ompletel# fine ith al&ohol an! &i,arettes% then there shoul!n:t be a reason #ou aren:t a&&eptin, of marijuana as ell. As #ou &an see in Ean&et:s stu!# above% hi&h as later publishe! b# *he "&onomist% al&ohol an! toba&&o are far more !an,erous than marijuana. *he ne,ative sti,ma of pot use has &ertainl# ma!e it seem li'e it:s orse% an! sin&e usin, the !ru, is still ille,al% the fa&t that onl# people ho are illin, to brea' the la ill smo'e has inevitabl# ma!e it asso&iate! ith a Fpothea!F &ulture. *hese are just the pre&on&eive! notions e:ve been brou,ht up in thou,h. A orl! here instea! of !rin'in, &heap beer% a hopeful politi&al &an!i!ate &an roll a joint to seem li'e the Fpeople:s &hoi&eF !oesn:t have to seem &ra7#. *his s&enario oul! a&tuall# be the healthier &hoi&e. / +n a blo, entr# on (0Gate% riter Davi! Dons e<plores the best strains of marijuana to help ith insomnia. Dons foun! a Guote from resear&her + 0einber,% from FClini&al ;harma&olo,# *herap#F in 13@.% that sa#s% F*he effe&t on sleep of *$C a!ministration &losel# resembles those in!u&e! b# lithium.F Also% the National Can&er +nstitute announ&e! in a stu!# that patients ho in,este! a &annabis plant e<tra&t spra# reporte! more restful sleep. Me!i&al marijuana is important to a lot of people. A&&or!in, to a Dis&over# $ealth arti&le% marijuana has been e<tremel# su&&essful in relievin, nausea% hi&h is e<tremel# ,oo! nes for &an&er patients sufferin, from nausea as a si!e effe&t of &hemotherap#. *he !ru, also helps ith people ho have loss of appetite !ue to !iseases su&h as $+8HA+D(. 0urthermore% it helps rela< mus&le tension an! spasms an! &hroni& pain. c. legalization reduce the consumption of marijuana ?egali$ation of drugs will remove the rebellious glamor of it :any psychological studies indicate that the attractiveness of a thing is often increased when it is scarce or when it is forbidden. This may have to do with a desire to be uni(ue or to stand out. Some associate it with a fre(uently youthful desire to be rebellious. 6hatever the cause, there is substantial reason to believe that the illegality of marijuana actually increases the appeal of it, and subse(uently increases its consumption. *he looser &ontrol of &annabis 1as ith &i,arettes an! al&ohol2% vs the &haos of the &urrent stru&ture% oul! mean a re!u&tion in our !ebt. B# &reatin, fee an! ta< pa#in, stores% #ou &reate in&ome. B# re!u&in, the perse&ution an! prose&ution of persons of no harm but to themselves% e &oul! re!u&e enfor&ement levels an! &on&entrate on trul# pressin, problems. B# ta<in, the ,roth an! &onsumption 1as e !o &i,arettes an! al&ohol2% e &oul! fortif# our e!u&ational bu!,ets. After all% nothin, or's better than e!u&ation to orient behavior. 6e in&rease revenue% re!u&e &osts% fortif# the future throu,h e!u&ation an! remove a substantial form of revenue from or,ani7e! &rime. *hat is hat + see &oul! happen if le,ali7ation o&&urre!. B. O;;O(+*+ON a. Health :arijuana is worse for individuals and society than alcohol. <oth alcohol and marijuana impair judgement. <ut alcohol has lasting damage on the body and causes death when over consumed.Iet, the distinguishing feature of marijuana is that it has greater long&term effects on memory, cognition, and motivations. :arijuana is more the drug of ;losers in life; than alcohol. !f one primary objective in society is to produce as many succesfull winners, alcohol is less costly to this objective than marijuana. lso, 1 much less is known about he health effects of marijuana than of alcohol5 making caution toward legali$ing marijuana more appropriate. !t is, therefore, fitting that marijuana be illegal while alcohol be legal. :arijuana is worse for individuals and society than tobacco. <oth cigarettes and marijuana do damage to the lungs. <ut, marijuana smoke is much more potent, and can do much more damage. @ :arijuana is addictive There are many studies that demonstrate a ;dependency; relationship evolving between individuals and marijuana. @ :arijuana use increases the risk of psychosis @ :arijuana impairs brain functions. :any researches conclude that marijuana impairs short&term memory, cognition, and motivations. The most important bo! parts "#hen ama$e a%% s&re%! ama$e' is (%ose%! re%ate to brain ner)es* +hate)er the bene,its o, mari-&ana. i, the brain is a%rea! bro/en. then #hat0s the point an!more1 an %et ,oi%s MOVEMENT %e$a%i2in$ mari-&ana @ :arijuana smoke is highly damaging to the lungs. :arijuana smoke is more potent than cigarette smoke, with some researches concluding that the negative effect of one joint is e(uivalent to a pack of cigarettes. @ :arijuana use impairs hormone production. !t is fre(uently cited that marijuana use leads to reductions in sperm levels. This reduction in hormone levels is a major cost of marijuana use. @ :arijuana use impairs the immune system. @ :arijuana use impairs motor skills. @ :arijuana use has been linked to various birth challenges @ That marijuana is herbal does not mean it is safe Some argue that marijuana is ;3D; because it4s ;natural;, ;herbal;, or ;comes from the earth;. <ut, on these criteria, poisons would be considered ;3D; to consume. @ :arijuana use can lead to cancer 8ust like with cigarettes, the intake of carcinogens in marijuana risks causing cancer. @ :arijuana use causes apoptosis or programmed cell death 7nlike alcohol and tobacco, cannabis has a hallucinatory effect on the mind. This is inherently dangerous in itself. +t is painful to at&h people suffer. + am not a,ainst helpin, people. +n a perfe&t orl!% a oman sufferin, from &an&er shoul! be able to ,et a pres&ription from her !o&tor% ,o to a pharma&#% a&Guire * her me!i&al marijuana% ,o home an! re&uperate from her last roun! of &hemotherap#. But e !on:t live in a perfe&t orl!% an! #ou !on:t nee! a ;h.D. to see that the spirit of that ar,ument is bein, e<ploite! b# people ho aren:t usin, the marijuana for me!i&al reasons at allC the# are usin, it to ,et hi,h. *hou,h the lon,9term effe&ts of &annabis have been stu!ie!% there remains mu&h to be &on&lu!e!C !ebate! topi&s in&lu!e the !ru,:s a!!i&tiveness% its potential as a F,atea# !ru,F% its effe&ts on intelli,en&e an! memor#% an! its &ontributions to mental !isor!ers su&h as s&hi7ophrenia an! &lini&al !epression. On some su&h topi&s% su&h as the !ru,:s effe&ts on the lun,s% relativel# little resear&h has been &on!u&te!% lea!in, to !ivision as to the severit# of its impa&t. $oever% a stu!# fun!e! b# the U( ,overnment on the lon, term lun,9relate! effe&ts of marijuana has &on&lu!e! that mo!erate marijuana use !oes not impair pulmonar# fun&tion. More resear&h is no ,uarantee of ,reater &onsensus in the fiel! of &annabis stu!ies% hoeverC both a!vo&ates an! opponents of the !ru, are able to &all upon multiple s&ientifi& stu!ies supportin, their respe&tive positions.IopinionJ Cannabis has been &orrelate! ith the !evelopment of various mental !isor!ers in multiple stu!ies% for e<ample a re&ent 159#ear stu!# on 1%3/- in!ivi!uals from the ,eneral population in German#% a,e! 14K/4% &on&lu!e! that &annabis use is a ris' fa&tor for the !evelopment of in&i!ent ps#&hoti& s#mptoms. Continue! &annabis use mi,ht in&rease the ris' for ps#&hoti& !isor!er. "fforts to prove the F,atea# !ru,F h#pothesis that &annabis an! al&ohol ma'es users more in&line! to be&ome a!!i&te! to Fhar!erF !ru,s li'e &o&aine an! heroin have pro!u&e! mi<e! results% ith !ifferent stu!ies fin!in, var#in, !e,rees of &orrelation beteen the use of &annabis an! other !ru,s% an! some fin!in, none. (ome%Iho)J hoever% believe the F,atea# effe&t%F &urrentl# bein, pinne! on the use of marijuana% shoul! not be attribute! to the !ru, itself but rather the ille,alit# of the !ru, in most &ountries. (upporters of this theor# believe that the ,roupin, of marijuana an! har!er !ru,s in la is% in fa&t% the &ause of users of marijuana to move on to those har!er !ru,s% parti&ularl# !ue to &ommon reGuirement to see' out a :!ealer: resultin, in ,reater a&&ess to other !ru,s. *here have been !ebates as to hether &annabis &an lea! to heav# a!!i&tion. A&&or!in, to one of the stu!ies on the issue% the Ea Guar!ia Committee of 1344% smo'in, marijuana &oul! help to ,et out of the a!!i&tion from substan&es li'e &o&aine or morphine. Cannabis ith!raal is in&lu!e! in the propose! revision of D(M9A.(everal !ru,s have been investi,ate! in an attempt to ameliorate the s#mptoms of &annabis ith!raal. (u&h !ru,s in&lu!e bupropion% !ivalproe<% nefa7o!one% lofe<i!ine% an! !ronabinol. Of these% !ronabinol has proven the most effe&tive. 0 A stu!# of .55 mothers that reporte! smo'in, &annabis !urin, pre,nan&# su,,este! that it as not asso&iate! ith in&rease! ris' of perinatal mortalit#. $oever% freGuent an! re,ular use of &annabis throu,hout pre,nan&# ma# be asso&iate! ith a small but statisti&all# !ete&table !e&rease in birth ei,ht. Melanie Dreher% !ean of nursin, at Rush Me!i&al Center in Chi&a,o% &on!u&te! a stu!# of Lamai&an omen ho use! &annabis throu,hout their pre,nan&ies% as ell as their babies: first #ear. *he stu!# as publishe! in the Ameri&an Lournal of ;e!iatri&s in 1334. Dreher e<pe&te! to see a !e&rease in birth ei,ht% but sa none. +nstea!% the e<pose! babies so&iali7e! an! ma!e e#e &onta&t more Gui&'l#% ha! better or,ani7ation an! mo!ulation of sleepin, an! a'in,% an! ere less prone to an<iet#. On !ifferen&e beteen the Lamai&an an! other stu!ies: results% FMe!i&ine hunterF Chris Kilham note!% F+n U.(. stu!ies here e:ve seen a similar investi,ation% omen have &on&urrentl# been abusin, al&ohol an! other !ru,s as ellF. b. Social: ould legalization entail heavy societal costs! @ :arijuana is the drug for life4s losers !f we want to produce a better society, there is some room for ;big brother; regulations to prevent citi$ens from doing harm to themselves. This is particularly appropriate in the conte%t of some individuals not having a ;choice; in the matter, in the sense that they grow up in an environment that e%poses them to marijuana and in which they don4t have any knowledge of marijuana4s costs. @ ?egali$ation of marijuana jeopardi$es public health @ ?egali$ation of marijuana would worsen schools performance ssuming that legali$ation would lead to increased accessibility and consumption, and that marijuana impairs cognition and learning, it is fair to say that legali$ation will likely damage student performance in schools. *here is !ata from #i/ipeia*or$ about F(everal &ountries have either &arrie! out or le,islate! &apital punishment for &annabis traffi&'in,F +n!onesia +n 133@% the +n!onesian ,overnment a!!e! the !eath penalt# as a punishment for those &onvi&te! of !ru,s in their &ountr#. *he la has #et to be enfor&e! on an# si,nifi&ant% ell9establishe! !ru, !ealers. *he former +n!onesian ;resi!ent% Me,aati (u'arnoputri announ&e! +n!onesia:s intent to implement a fier&e ar on !ru,s in /55/. (he &alle! for the e<e&ution of all !ru, !ealers. F0or those ho !istribute !ru,s% life senten&es an! other prison senten&es are no lon,er suffi&ient%F she sai!. FNo senten&e is suffi&ient other than the !eath senten&e.F +n!onesia:s ne presi!ent% (usilo Bamban, =u!ho#ono% also prou!l# supports e<e&utions for !ru, !ealers. 2 c. -onsumption levels' 6ill legali$ation reduce the consumption of marijuanaE @ The legali$ation of marijuana will increase consumption ?egali$ation of marijuana will make the drug more accessible, affordable, and acceptable, making its increased consumption a near certainty. #mpirical evidence with countries that have moved to legali$ation appears to flush this theory out. dditionally, it will boost drug&related tourism to the given country, which is everything but desirable. o ?egali$ation of marijuana will make it more accessible. o ?egali$ation of marijuana will make it more affordable. o !llegali$ation of marijuana helps deter use The illegality of marijuana deters consumption through the threat of punishment. o !llegality of marijuana sets moral standard against consumption. ?aws provide a clear societal standard. They make it clear what society holds dear and what it rebukes as immoral, harmful, or simply socially undesirable. This creates a symbolic boundary that deters consumption. !f this barrier is removed, it may seen as a symbolic act of tolerance and acceptance of the marijuana consumption. This is likely to lead to greater consumption and social harm. +f marijuana ere to be le,ali7e!% &onsumption of it oul! li'el# in&rease. Alon, ith that oul! li'el# &ome health an! &ommunit# &osts> in&rease in a&&i!ents !ue to motor impairment% in&rease in asso&iate! illnesses su&h as &an&er% as is the &ase ith &i,arette smo'in,% as ell as the multiple hospitali7ations an! sur,eries often a&&ompan#in, those a!!i&te! to ni&otine. Marijuana is not harmlessC it is a!!i&tive% an! it !oes affe&t the brain. Do #ou ant to be on the roa! ith a bun&h of stone! !rivers) *hin' about it.... Eet:s ta'e a loo' at the me!i&al marijuana issue in Eos An,eles an! e &an see here le,ali7ation ta'es us. +t has been m# e<perien&e that an#one &an ,et a me!i&al marijuana &ar! in E.A.C all #ou nee! is M/A9M155 an! the abilit# to lie about nee!in, it. =ou just ma'e an appointment ith some &ompan#% al' in an! state #our problem1s2 an! h# #ou nee! a &ar! 1ith no proof of me!i&al &on!itions hatsoever2 an! #ou ill be pres&ribe! a &ar! that is ,oo! for one #ear. +t:s a toothless s#stem that isn:t ell9re,ulate!. +ntro!u&in, le,ali7e! marijuana into our &ulture oul! be li'e usin, ,asoline to put out a fire% be&ause it stunts ,roth. Do #ou have an# i!ea ho man# marijuana a!!i&ts that en&ounter at rehab on a !ail# basis) *he# tal' about antin, to be pro!u&tive. But hat pot !oes is it 'ills their motivation 99 it !estro#s people:s abilit# to ,o out an! or' an! to have a &areer. +t ma'es them ant to !o nothin, but lie aroun! all !a#. +s that hat #ou ant for #our &hil!ren) +s that hat #ou ant for #our love! ones) 1.