The Ministry Of Health Affirms That The Health Bill Does Not Treat Alcohol With Narcotics

Illustration of health care facilities (faskes) using electronic medical records. (Unsplash-Irwan Iwe)

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Mohammad Syahril said tobacco and alcohol were not treated the same as narcotics or psychotropic substances in the Draft Health Law (RUU).

"The Health Bill does not equate tobacco and alcohol treatment with narcotics or psychotropic substances," Syahril said in Jakarta, Friday, April 14, as reported by Antara.

He said tobacco, alcohol, narcotics and psychotropics in the Health Bill were only grouped into articles of addictive substances or elements that had dependence on consumption.

He said the grouping did not mean that tobacco and alcohol were treated the same as narcotics and psychotropic substances, because the two elements had strict bans and criminal penalties.

"Narcotics and psychotropics are regulated in special laws. Tobacco and alcohol will not be included in the classification of narcotics and psychotropics because of the different laws," he said.

Syahril, who also serves as President Director of RSPI Sulianti Saroso, said that tobacco and alcohol will not be equated with marijuana and others that have criminal and banned elements in Indonesia.

"The grouping of tobacco and alcohol as addictive substances is actually already in the current Health Law. So it is not true that it will be treated the same as narcotics and psychotropic substances," he said.