An Indonesian man arrested for growing marijuana at home remains adamant that he was cultivating the illegal plant for research purposes, as he faces serious penalties for his alleged crime.
Muslim, 50, was arrested on Tuesday with National Narcotics Agency (BNN) officers confiscating 45 marijuana plants from his home in Tasikmalaya, West Java.
Speaking to reporters following his arrest, Muslim claimed that he cultivated the marijuana plants to try out the organic compost he had developed.
“This marijuana is just for research,” he said.
Muslim also rejected any notion that he was a drug trafficker, even though he admitted to selling his plants to his friends.
“Don’t drag the people close to me into this. Let me be the only one responsible. I sold [to my friends] at the cockfighting ring and sometimes out of the city too,” he said.
Furthermore, Muslim said he saw no harm in marijuana as he had been consuming the drug since he was a teenager.
BNN says it’s still investigating the case further as there is indication that Muslim had been growing marijuana for decades, and that his plantation measured 1 hectare at one point.
Formal charges against Muslim have yet to be announced. Under Indonesian law, marijuana is classified as Class I narcotics (along with heroin and cocaine), the illegal production of which is punishable by up to 12 years in prison.
Despite Indonesia’s harsh drug laws, there seems to be growing tolerance for marijuana possession after a man was sentenced to only eight months in prison for growing marijuana, with the court showing leniency as he grew the illegal plant to treat his dying wife. More recently, a Jakarta man is facing just one year in prison for marijuana possession after he claimed that he was consuming the drug to treat a debilitating condition.
Reader Interactions