Jakarta – The newly inaugurated chief of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, has generated further controversy by defending his remarks that Indonesia's drug laws are too lenient and provide loopholes for both traffickers and users.

Waseso, the former National Police's chief of detectives, said on Wednesday that he aims to revise Indonesia's narcotics laws, which currently offer rehabilitation clinics as an alternative to prison in certain situations. The provision, he argued, serves as a gateway for people to experiment with drugs.

"Why do people try drugs? Because the penalties are light, [they] only go to rehab [in case they're caught]," Waseso added.

The BNN chief further fueled controversy by saying: "It is like losing twice. The country is already ruined by these drug users and the state has to pay for their rehabilitation. We must evaluate this [provision]. Not eliminate [the provision] but evaluate [it] so that it serves as a deterrent for others."

However, of the estimated 18,000 people in an Indonesian rehabilitation facility, only less than 2,000 are in a BNN or other government-funded center.

"We will evaluate this together. I will invite legal practitioners, from the Justice Ministry and police and society. We will discuss this together," Waseso continued. "We don't want the law to provide loopholes for drug dealers, pretending like they're victims," Waseso added.

According to the 2009 Anti-Narcotics Law in Indonesia, there are prescribed limits for those found in possession of drugs to qualify as a user as opposed to a drug trafficker.

That limit, as set out in the 2009 Anti-Narcotics Law, is at most eight ecstasy pills, or less than one gram of crystal methamphetamine, or less than five grams of marijuana.

To date, there have not been any reported cases of drug traffickers exploiting the so-called loophole and being sent to a rehabilitation facility.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/bnn-chief-defends-controversial-remarks-drug-laws/