SUPPORTING MARIJUANA 'NOT GOOD'

JAKARTA: Social Services Minister Salim Segaf al Jufri says legalizing
marijuana may have negative effects on the nation's youth.

"I don't agree [with the idea of legalizing marijuana] because I fear
it would be misused," he said Saturday as quoted by
tempointeraktif.com.

A number of activists previously demanded the legalization of
marijuana and recently held a rally commemorating the Global Marijuana
March.

Salim added that it would be difficult to determine whether
individuals found in possession of less than 1 gram of contraband were
first-time users.

Salim was reportedly commenting on the recent statement made by Law
and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar, who said there was an
effort to revise the law so that those caught with less than 1 gram of
illegal drugs would face rehabilitation treatment rather than prison.
- -- JP