GAC008 Assessment Event 4: Academic Research Essay (Version 7.

1A)

How Illicit Drug Use Laws Affect the

Country

Students Name: Angeline Klarissa

Student ID #: GAC002

Teacher: Hendro Liu

Due Date: 3 November 2016

Word Count: 1067

GAC008 AE#4 Angeline Klarissa GAC002

Outline

Topic: Cause and Effect: Human Health

Title: How Illicit Drug Use Laws Affect the Country

Introduction

Background Sentence:

The use of drugs aside from medical purposes has always been illegal in most countries. Each country may

have different laws about drug use.

Thesis statement:

As a result, laws on drug use in Indonesia and Philippines affect the nation and may or may not affect the

relation between two countries.

Body Text

Paragraph 1 - Brief explanation of laws about drug use in Indonesia and Phillippines.

Paragraph 2 - Compare the laws. Are they conflicting?

Paragraph 3 (Effects) - The case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina worker, who is caught smuggling drugs in

Indonesia and how it affects the nation relating to the laws.

Paragraph 4 (Solution) - Real life solution: Jokowi and Duterte has come to a decision regarding Velosos

case during Dutertes visit to Indonesia last September.

Conclusion

Concludes the whole essay.

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Question: What are the effects of government policy on illicit drug use? Justify your response using

specific examples from your country and at least one other country of your choice.

The use of drugs aside from medical purposes has always been illegal in most countries. Illicit drug use leads

to an increase in death rate caused by drug overdose and also the number of people needed to be rehabilitated

each year. To overcome the situation, certain laws are created to prevent more from happening. However,

still there are violation against the law. Some countries including Indonesia and Philippines established laws

about illicit drug use where the law offenders are sentenced for a long period of time in jail or even death

penalties. As a result, laws on drug use in Indonesia and Philippines affect the nation and may or may not

affect the relation between two countries.

In Indonesia, narcotics are defined as any substance or medicine derived from plants or non-plants, either

synthetic or semi-synthetic, which may cause degradation or change of consciousness, sensation loss,

reduction through elimination of pain, and may cause dependence (Silvestrini 2014, p. 6). Around Southeast

Asia, Indonesia is known to have contentious weapons to its war on drugs. Those include execution of drug

trafficker (Putri 2015), prison guarded by vicious animals like crocodiles, piranhas and tigers and force

feeding the dealers their own narcotics until overdose (Ambrose 2016). Last revised in 2009, Indonesian

drug laws has different kinds of penalties based on the substances that are divided into three groups. Group 1

are substances that are not pharmaceutically useful, addictive and are harmful. While group 2 are drugs that

are addictive and harmful if misused but are pharmaceutically useful. Group 3 are pharmaceutically useful as

well however it is less addictive than group 1 or 2. When concerning Group 1, offenders carrying small

amount of it are fined 8 billion rupiah and sentenced to 4-12 years in prison. If the amount exceeds, then it

can lead to life imprisonment. Group 2 offenders are similar with group 1, 4-12 years in prison and

exceeding amount are sentenced to death penalties. Only, it is 5 billion rupiah in fines. However, Group 3

fines 3 billion rupiah, maximum imprisonment sentence is 15 years, and is not punishable with death

sentence (Silvestrini 2014, pp. 6-7).

During an interview with the head of drug treatment and recovery center, Sri Hayuni of Yayasan Harapan

Permata Hati Kita (YAKITA) Foundation, said that she agrees with death penalties for the suppliers, because

they have not only kill dozens of people but thousands by influencing even more people to consume drugs.

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Regarding the offenders who consumed drugs, Sri Hayuni stated that they should not be sentenced for a

death penalty or even imprisonment, yet they should be put to rehabilitation. This is because consumers in

this case are seen as victims and having them to be sentenced in prison would only worsen their condition

since not little drug dealing happened between prisoners as admitted by Sri Hayuni. And so, since 2015,

Indonesias government created a rehabilitation program for consumers that needed to change and reflect

themselves for a better self.

According to the website, The LawPhil Project (2016), drug laws in Philippines on the other hand is pretty

similar in terms of life imprisonment to death penalties. Death penalties are required when the amount of

illegal drugs brought to the country exceeds certain limit. Sellers, traders and dealers are fined five hundred

thousand pesos (P500,000.00) to ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00).

Although similar, the laws created has affected both countries in different ways. The relation between

Indonesia and Philippines is wavered due to the case of drug smuggling imprisonment of Mary Jane Veloso

that is sentenced for a death penalty. Veloso, a domestic worker, is arrested in 2010 in Yogyakarta for

carrying a 2.2 kg of heroin in a suitcase. With her case of drug smuggling, her execution on April 2015 was

first delayed by Indonesias president, Jokowi. This is when Maria Kristina Sergio handed herself to the

police in Manila after being caught recruiting Veloso. It is thought that Veloso could be a witness in Sergios

case (Holmes 2016).

Velosos case has been raging since Philippines presidency is still lead by President Benigno Aquino III

(Damazo-Santos 2015). With Philippines having a new leader which is Duterte, Velosos parents and

members of Migrante International, association of overseas Filipino workers, seek for justice with hope that

President Duterte, who has a reputation of bold actions including pushing for a revival of death penalty in

Philippines, would save a Filipina, Mary Jane Veloso, since her fate is in his hands (Torres & Ramos 2016).

According to Jokowi, the president of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has given permission to execute a

Filipina, Mary Jane Veloso, for her case of drug smuggling that leaves other Filipinos shocked and withstand

it. However, in Dutertes opinion, he understands that his citizen has disobeyed a law in another country,

Indonesia, making him to simply say Follow your own laws. I will not interfere according to his

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spokesperson, Ernesto Abella (Torres & Ramos 2016). Till this day, there was not any update on the news of

Mary Jane Veloso.

With the conflict between two nations, Philippines and Indonesias bilateral relation as authorized by the

minister and secretary of foreign affairs representing both countries is not affected. The only issue it has in

terms of bilateral relation is the delay of coal shipments from Indonesia to the Philippines due to piracy in

the Sulu Sea and not because of Velosos drug smuggling case in Yogyakarta six years ago (REFILE-

Indonesia to resume some coal shipments to Philippines amid piracy concerns 2016).

As the conflict has reached a solution, it is shown that the best solution which applied is to have a meeting of

leaders from both countries and have them find a way out. The final decision was Duterte of Philippines

gave Jokowi of Indonesia a permission to execute Mary Jane Veloso as it is the penalty of drug laws in

Indonesia that is fully respected by Duterte himself since his country, Philippines, as well have a similar law

regarding the penalty for the law offenders of illicit drug use.

This concludes that certain laws may affect a cooperation of two countries. Nevertheless, in this case it does

not affect the relation between both countries, but it affects the countrys nation. As stated above, Indonesia

and Philippines had a wavered situation because of the case of a Filipina arrested and sentenced for a death

penalty for violating the drug law of Indonesia.

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References

Ambrose, D. (2016) Indonesia weighs controversial new drug crime penalties, Aljazeera [Online].
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/02/indonesia-weighs-controversial-drug-crime-
penalties-160228064109348.html [Accessed 12 October 2016].

Damazo-Santos, J. (2015) Jokowi set to visit PH, as fate of Filipina on death row uncertain, Rappler
[Online]. Available at: http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/83061-jokowi-
state-visit-philippines [Accessed 1 November 2016]

Hayuni, S. Interviewed at Taman Anggrek Mall on 8/10/16 at 2.00 pm in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Holmes, O. (2016) Indonesia says Duterte has given it permission to execute Mary Jane Veloso The
Guardian [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/12/indonesia-
permission-philippines-execute-drug-mule-rodrigo-duterte-mary-jane-veloso [Accessed 12 October
2016].

Putri, D. (2015) Indonesia and the New War on Drugs, tni [Online]. Available at:
http://www.tni.org/en/article/indonesia-and-the-new-war-on-drugs [Accessed 7 October 2016].

R.A. 9165. (2016) The LawPhil Project [Online]. Available at:

http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2002/ra_9165_2002.html [Accessed 12 October 2016].

REFILE-Indonesia to resume some coal shipments to Philippines amid piracy concerns (2016) Reuters
[Online]. Available at: http://in.reuters.com/article/indonesia-security-philippines-idINL4N1D009H
[Accessed 2 November 2016]

Silvestrini, E. (2014) "Injection, Ingestion, & Misconception: Drug Use & Rehabilitation in Indonesia",
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. Paper 1794, pp. 6-7 [Online]. Available at:
http://docplayer.net/19336791-Injection-ingestion-misconception-drug-use-rehabilitation-in-
indonesia.html [Accessed 7 October 2016].

Torres, E., Ramos, M. (2016) Duterte lets Jakarta decide Veloso case, Inquirer.net [Online]. Available at:
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/144692/duterte-lets-jakarta-decide-veloso-case [Accessed 2 November
2016]

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Interview Questions

Subject: Sri Hayuni

Occupation: Head of Yayasan Harapan Permata Hati Kita (YAKITA) Foundation

Interviewed at Taman Anggrek Mall on 8/10/16 at 2.00 pm in Jakarta, Indonesia.

1. Apa saja undang-undang dan hukuman di indonesia terhadap pemakaian narkotika?

2. Apakah Ibu setuju dengan adanya hukuman mati bagi pengedar narkoba? Mengapa?

3. Menurut Ibu, apakah hukuman mati perlu diterapkan juga kepada para pengguna narkoba?

Mengapa?

4. Apa pendapat Ibu mengenai kasus Mary Jane Veloso yang saat ini terlibat kasus narkotika di

Indonesia?

5. Apa pesan-pesan Ibu terhadap para pemuda di Indonesia terkait narkoba?

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