Malaysia Seeks to Decriminalise Possession, Use of Small Quantities of Medicine

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia needs to introduce a regulation to decriminalise the possession and use of small portions of illicit medicine, its house affairs minister mentioned on Monday, citing a necessity to scale back jail overcrowding.

The transfer is the most recent in a collection of prison justice reforms pursued by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s authorities, which this 12 months abolished the necessary loss of life penalty and natural-life jail phrases, and mentioned it might search to decriminalise suicide makes an attempt.

Malaysia, like a lot of its Southeast Asian neighbours, has harsh penalties for drug crimes. Below reforms handed final month, it retained the loss of life penalty for drug trafficking however mentioned it is going to not be necessary, with judges allowed to resolve whether or not or to not impose the sentence on convicted offenders.

Below the proposed regulation, these discovered with small portions of unlawful substances won’t be prosecuted however as a substitute despatched to drug rehabilitation centres for remedy, Dwelling Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution informed reporters.

“For these discovered with small quantities of medication, whether or not it was for possession or use, the concept is to not contemplate the act as a daily drug-related offence,” he mentioned.

A proposal on the brand new regulation is predicted to be introduced to cupboard in July for approval, Saifuddin mentioned. If permitted, a draft invoice shall be tabled in parliament throughout the 12 months, he added.

Malaysia is taken into account a key transit level for unlawful narcotics. The police mentioned practically 29,000 folks have been arrested in 2022 for varied drug offences, the majority of whom have been addicts.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Enhancing by Kanupriya Kapoor)

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