Call Drug Users Sick, Otto Hasibuan Discusses Tolerance And Law

Deputy Coordinating Minister for Human Rights Immigration and Corrections Prof. Otto Hasibuan (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Deputy Coordinating Minister for Human Rights Immigration and Corrections Prof. Otto Hasibuan said that the users of narcotics and illegal drugs (drugs) were sick people.

"Look, 51 percent of the prison residents are drug cases, both dealers and users," he said, opening the National Working Meeting of the Indonesian Advocates Association (Ikadin) in Semarang, Saturday, November 9, 2024.

For drug dealers, he emphasized that there is no tolerance for them so that they must be severely punished to the death penalty.

"We see that this drug has two sides. If he is a dealer, there is no tolerance, it must be severely punished. In fact, there are those who are sentenced to death. We have no problem with that," he said.

The problem, he said, is drug users, especially minors and new users who are the first to go to prison.

"We know that they are small in prison, sometimes their exit becomes more evil. So, there is a thought, isn't it true that drug users are sick people," he said.

Thus, he said, the perspective used is how to rehabilitate or heal them, especially drug users who are still very young or beginners.

If they are imprisoned, he said it was necessary to study whether the move was able to solve the problem and guarantee that they would not repeat or become more evil after leaving prison.

"We see them as citizens. How sick is recovered so there is a thought what if it can be rehabilitated, yes, there is no need to be imprisoned, except for dealers," he said.

In terms of budget, he said, the state must also spend a lot of money to finance them in prison.

"This (for) those small users, the first time, who are still in school. The future will run out if he is there (imprisoned). There is no profit. The state also loses for spending them in prison," he said.

Therefore, Otto asked for input from various law enforcement professional organizations, including Ikadin, to help find solutions to these problems.

"Here, advocates play a role in initiating. Do we agree that drug users are sick people who must be cured? This used to be the point of thought. If we agree to be cured, it will not be the prison sentence imposed, but rehabilitation," he said.

Later, he said, if they are rehabilitated, of course, the government's budget is needed, because if rehabilitation is independently charged to the person concerned, it is not necessarily possible.