Indonesia criminal code overhaul a step backwards for drug policy

Sweeping criminal sanctions proposed in Indonesian parliament could worsen the country's drug problem
Al Jazeera
Friday, March 30, 2018

As more countries move away from drug prohibition, Indonesia is about to step up its efforts to defend it. Proposed revisions to the country's criminal code promote harsh penalties for the use and possession of narcotics - including society's ultimate sanction, the death penalty - instead of a health-oriented approach. Rather than enabling a safer, healthier future for the world's fourth largest population, the changes guarantee a surge in prison overcrowding, inflated public health costs, decreased access to health care, and increased drug trafficking, availability, and misuse.