Son Of The Chairman Of The Badung DPRD On Trial, Lawyer Says The Defendant Used Marijuana To Reduce Pain Due To Hemiparesis In Coma

Denpasar District Court/ANTARA

DENPASAR - Ida Bagus Gumilang Sakti, a lawyer for the defendant in the marijuana possession case of Putu Nova Christ Andika Graha Parwata, said that his client used marijuana to reduce pain.

"The defendant used marijuana because he had a medical history, he had a hemiparesis coma, so he used it to reduce pain," said Ida Bagus Gumilang Sakti in Denpasar, Bali, as reported by Antara, Tuesday, July 5.

In the first trial of the case at the Denpasar District Court, Bali, Putu Nova chose not to file an exception after being charged with possession of marijuana so that the Public Prosecutor will proceed to the proof stage.

Putu Nova, a 34-year-old lawyer, was charged by Public Prosecutor Imam Ramdhoni with Article 111 paragraph (1) of the Narcotics Law, or Article 111 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 132 paragraph (1) of the same Law, or Article 127 paragraph (1) of the same Law. same.

Putu Nova, the son of the chairman of the Badung Regency DPRD I Putu Parwata, was charged with possessing and possessing 239 grams of marijuana after it was previously disclosed by the Denpasar Police Narcotics Investigation Unit last May.

“The defendant bought through Mr Mario Mad's Instagram account. The plan is for the marijuana to be consumed alone," said Public Prosecutor Imam Ramdhoni in a virtual session.

It was stated that the prosecutor's arrest of Putu Nova started with information from the public, which was then followed up by the police to arrest Putu SA.

After being interrogated, Putu SA finally spoke out that he moved on the orders of the defendant Putu Nova, who asked him to take a package in the form of a plastic package.

In the package, a large plastic clip was found containing leaves, seeds, and dried stems of suspected marijuana weighing up to 236 grams. The police then chased the defendant to his residence and similar evidence weighing 3 grams was found again.

Back to consumption

The prosecutor read out the indictment and stated that the defendant had been taking illegal drugs for a long time. Putu Nova is said to have stopped using marijuana while undergoing addiction rehabilitation in 2017 at the Anargya Sober House Foundation in Bali.

"However, the defendant returned to consuming marijuana to reduce pain after undergoing surgery due to an accident," explained Imam.

From the medical record, the defendant in 2019 fell into a hemiparetic coma. After recovering from the accident, Putu Nova again repeated his actions. The marijuana consumed is used to reduce pain in the head. Hemiparesis is a condition when one side of the body, from head to toe, becomes weak and makes it difficult to move.

Currently, the government and the DPR are reviewing the opportunity to use marijuana for medical purposes. However, the discourse still triggers polemics, especially among doctors who object to considering that class I narcotics have long-term side effects.

The prosecutor also said that the marijuana that Putu Nova had consumed was used to reduce pain and at the same time make the defendant fall asleep.

The priest then reads the indictment and the trial will continue with evidence.