Legal disparities in handling narcotics abuse among teenagers in Indonesia

Ellys Lossus Urbaningrum, Setiawan Noerdajasakti & Yuliati

Volume 5 Issue 2, June 2025

Abstract

This study aims to identify obstacles in law enforcement affecting the effectiveness of protection and rehabilitation of adolescents involved in drug cases. It also highlights the discrepancy between the principle of restorative justice and the application of the law in distinguishing the treatment of drug users and dealers. The approach used is normative juridical with library research method. The analysis is conducted using normative legal interpretation techniques, including systematic and historical interpretation of relevant legislation, such as Law No. 35/2009 on Narcotics and Law No. 11/2012 on the Juvenile Justice System. This research examines legal doctrine and court decisions relating to the rehabilitation of drug abusers. The results show that although regulations have emphasised rehabilitation as the main approach in dealing with adolescent drug abusers, its implementation still faces various obstacles, such as the limitations of the justice system, the lack of rehabilitation facilities, and social stigma that prioritises punishment over rehabilitation. In addition, discrepancies in the application of the law often lead to drug users being categorised as dealers, so they are more often sentenced to criminal penalties rather than receiving rehabilitation, which should be a priority. This research is limited to normative analysis of the applicable regulations and has not empirically examined the implementation of rehabilitation policies in various regions. The implication of this research is the need for policy revisions that emphasise rehabilitation for adolescent drug abusers as well as increased understanding of law enforcement officials in applying restorative justice consistently. This study provides a fresh perspective that highlights the inconsistency between the repressive legal approach and the rehabilitative spirit that should be prioritized in the protection of children.

Keywords

Author information & Contribution

Ellys Lossus Urbaningrum. Corresponding author. Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia. Email: ellyslossusurbaningrum@gmail.com

Setiawan Noerdajasakti. Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia. Email: setiawan.sakti@ub.ac.id

Yuliati. Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia. Email: yuliaticholil@ub.ac.id

"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."

Disclosure statement

Funding

Institutional Review Board Statement

AI Declaration

Notes

Acknowledgement

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Cite this article:

Urbaningrum, E.L., Noerdajasakti, S. & Yuliati (2025). Legal disparities in handling narcotics abuse among teenagers in Indonesia. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 5(2), 178-200. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353202