British Expat Faces 15-year Indonesian Jail Sentence For Cannabidoil Usage

A British expat living on the Indonesian resort island of Bali is facing 15 years in an Indonesian prison for importing non-addictive cannbidoil into the country.

Pip Holmes, an arthritis sufferer, uses the non-addictive natural remedy for pain relief and had asked a friend to send him several vials, but was arrested for drug smuggling when he attempted to collect the package. Indonesia is infamous for its ultra-strict laws on drug smuggling, but the fact that genuine, medicinal cannabidoil contains no trace of the psychoactive THC compound doesn’t seem to have been taken into consideration.

Following his arrest, Holmes failed a drug test, but was sent to a police-run rehabilitation facility after his lawyer argued his client was a drug user. He’s still facing a charge of drug trafficking, a crime which is punishable by death in Indonesia. He was allowed a phone-based press conference with the BBC, during which he claimed the Indonesian media were accusing him of the crime without having any evidence that the tiny amount of cannbidoil was for anything but his own personal pain relief use. His next court appearance is due later this month, with Holmes saying he’s more than happy to be classed as a marijuana addict and sent to a rehabilitation facility.

Cannabidoil as a proven natural treatment for several conditions was catapulted into the spotlight last year when the mother of a child with a rare form of epilepsy was arrested after she’d made one of her regular runs from the UK to Canada to ensure her severely affected son could continue with the medication. Studies have shown it’s effective in controlling multiple seizures and it’s known not to contain the compound which results in a ‘high’. In the UK, common sense prevailed and the oil was legalised last November, following several US states in which it can be freely purchased. Perhaps the Indonesian authorities might like to do some research on the subject before Holmes’s next court appearance in order to prevent a serious miscarriage of justice.