Estudiante Law Journal
VOL. 8 NO. 1 FEBRUARY 2026

Factors Underlying Marijuana Use: A Case Study of a Criminal Court Decision

Shidqi Rivandra (Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 Feb 2026

Abstract

Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics classifies marijuana as a Class I narcotic and prohibits its use absolutely, including for medical purposes, even though the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs removed cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention in 2020 and research increasingly recognises its therapeutic value. This article examines the factors underlying marijuana use in Decision Number 830/Pid.Sus/2020/PN Kpg and asks whether the absolute prohibition of Class I narcotics in Indonesia remains proportionate. The study uses normative legal research with statutory and case approaches; the court decision and the relevant legislation are analysed descriptively together with secondary legal materials. The study finds that the defendant’s use of marijuana was motivated by therapeutic rather than recreational purposes, yet the classification of marijuana as a Class I narcotic left the court no room to take that motive into account. The article argues for a more proportionate and evidence-based narcotics policy that permits scientific research and controlled medical use while retaining strict safeguards against abuse and illicit distribution

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

eslaw

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

Estudiante Law Journal is a peer reviewed journal published by the Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. This journal is published three times every February, July and November of the same year. EsLaw aims to be a scientific and research journal for all legal observers and activists with a ...